


Deceptions Hidden in Blood

by SakuraMinamino



Series: Shadows of Blood [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Ghosts, Ghouls, Gods, M/M, Shinobi, Vampires, uneasy alliances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:44:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 46,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5211512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraMinamino/pseuds/SakuraMinamino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Blood of the Immortal.</p><p>Sasuke and Naruto have recuperated after running away bruised, broken, and with shattered egos. Now, they're stronger with new allies to support them; however, will it be enough to keep themselves alive, and will it keep them together after the past comes to haunt them? And can they stop the world from falling into another bloody war?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the sequel. I don't expect many to read it, but might as well. Up to date on fanfiction

Mountains as far as the eye could see to the east. The landscape rolling with highs and lows, trees covering the mountain side and covered in snow. Even so, a warm spring wind ruffled Sasuke's dark locks. The white marble railing supported his weight as he leaned against it, staring off into the horizon. The sun was just peeking over the mountains, shading the sky with various pinks and oranges.

Christmas had come and gone, and so had Valentine's Day. It was already mid March. Almost three months since the incident in December. Just the reminder of what had occurred had him rubbing his hand through his hair in frustration. Anger still simmered underneath the surface just thinking about it. It still felt like yesterday when they all had been forced to run with their tail between their legs, defeated, broken. The healing afterwards was just as painful and humiliating for all of them.

There was one good thing that had occurred during that snafu. A smile pulled at the corner of the raven's lips. He could feel his lover's chakra moving within him. If he closed his eyes, he could locate where the original owner was.

As if on cue, he heard the distant cry of pain followed by a long string of curses. That would be him. Naruto. His mate. His husband. Though Naruto often tried not to say the word husband, claiming he was still too young to be married. Sasuke humored him. He knew Naruto wasn't embarrassed about it. More like he felt awkward about the whole ordeal. Naruto was still young and had a few more years until he outgrew the awkward young adult years of his life. Perhaps another six or seven years. It was a short amount of time compared to the length of time they should have together in the years to come.

"You should be training with Shisui."

Sasuke tensed at the sound of _that_ voice. It brought a whole other set of emotions running through him, many of them conflicting. He wasn't sure how to feel about Itachi. Even after having over the three months to sort through them, it was hard to accept the truth his brother had laid out for him.

* * *

"Ahhhh!"

Naruto flinched at the scream. He looked back at Sasuke who was glaring at him from their bed. "Lie back down, Dobe. You aren't healed yet."

The blond man only gave him an exasperated look. "How can you be so calm? He's been screaming for almost two days."

Sasuke growled, grabbing Naruto's wrist and pulling him back into bed when Naruto moved to get out. "It can't be helped. He has no fresh blood in his system, and we can't go out and get some, so Itachi just has to put up with it until everything regenerates." At that brutishly slow pace. He didn't need to add that last part as the last four days made that obvious. Sasuke was impressed that his brother hadn't been screaming since the beginning. Whether Itachi was consciously keeping silent or he was just in so much pain at the time he couldn't feel it anymore, Sasuke didn't know, but by day three he had been screaming almost non-stop finally too tired and broken down to hold it back.

Sasuke gripped the man in his arms tighter. Naruto had been so close to going through that same pain. As bad as Naruto's leg was, it was still attached, barely, but still attached. Healing the damage was nowhere near as painful as having to regenerate entire limbs.

"It seems like the screaming stopped." Naruto whispered, burying his face in Sasuke's chest. His voice was still breathy from lingering pain throughout his body. Sasuke felt like shit because of it. While Naruto could offer blood and help him with his injuries, he could not do the same for him, so that left the fledgling to heal at a slower pace.

"About damn time." The raven nuzzled into his mate's hair. He smelled faintly of cinnamon from their shampoo. It suited him.

A soft knock on the door interrupted them. "Ignore it," was the vampire's muttered reply. He was in no mood to be disturbed. Unfortunately, the door opened anyway, causing another low growl to emanate from the raven.

Kakashi ignored the warning, coming in anyway. He was the only one in their party to not have sustained any injuries, but he also looked tired and worn. There was a bag under his one visible eye, his hair looked unwashed, and his shoulders were slumped forward. Iruka's mental state had been wearing him down the past several days. "Just came to tell the vamp that his brother wants to see him. Said something about owing you an explanation before he went to sleep." He left without waiting for a reply.

Sasuke didn't move, keeping himself wrapped around the blond teen. "You're not going to go?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke didn't reply. His eyes roamed the teen's battered body. His knee was wrapped tightly with clean bandages to keep him from bending it, his torso was discolored from freshly healed wounds, and his right arm was bandaged and in a sling. Sasuke's grip around Naruto tightened.

Naruto winced at the pressure, but didn't say anything about the discomfort. He was well aware he had scared Sasuke. He wouldn't take away Sasuke's reassurance that he was safe. "You should talk to him. You've been waiting for answers for a long time."

A worn out sigh escaped him. Slowly, Sasuke detangled himself from his lover. It was harder than he would have liked to admit. Every instinct told him to remain. It told him to protect. Naruto was still too weak to defend himself. The bond between them was still fresh and settling, so the urge to stay was screaming at the back of his mind. Naruto on the other hand was beginning to feel a bit smothered. It couldn't be helped. He was only a fledgling, so the vampiric instincts were only half as strong as his. And while Naruto wouldn't say anything about it, understanding Sasuke's dilemma, Sasuke could still feel his mate's restlessness. Sitting still was not one of the teen's strong points, let alone bed rest.

"I'll go, just promise me you won't leave the mansion." It would be foolish to think Naruto would actually stay in the room.

"Promise. Tired anyway." As if to confirm the statement, he yawned.

Sasuke smirked. "I'll take responsibility for that."

Naruto huffed. "Bastard."

The exchange put Sasuke in a better mood, making the trip to his brother's room less daunting. They had escaped to a large mansion hidden in the mountains. It had been Shisui's and Itachi's training grounds when they were children. There were three floors, and it was 20,000 square feet including the cellar. The architecture was of European influence as well though there were several rooms that were of Japanese design with rice paper walls and tatami mats. The surrounding grounds consisted of 100 acres of private property around the mansion. Though most of the 100 acres was mad up of forest, there were several spots cleared for training purposes.

Itachi was in his old room. One of the European rooms with a bed instead of a futon, a hinged door instead of a sliding one, and carpet instead of tatami. The furnishings were antiques, though they weren't considered antiques when they were first bought nearly 150 years ago. The four poster bed, the armoire, carpet, tapestries, curtains, and the dresser would all fetch thousands of dollars. Thankfully the mattress had been updated with a modern one. Sasuke was eternally thankful to whoever had the hindsight to update that at least over the years. He refused to go back to the uncomfortable spring coil beds he had as a child, or worse, the cast iron beds with cotton mattresses. His back ached at the thought, and he vaguely wondered how anyone survived. He'd take a futon over those any day.

Besides the few basic furnishings, the room was empty, the floor to ceiling windows had large heavy curtains drawn closed over them, and the only light was from a small bedside lamp. Someone must have wired the whole house at some point as well.

Itachi laid in the large bed, slouching heavily against the pillows that kept him propped up. His skin was the color of ash, his body looked thin and frail, his normally perfectly groomed hair was tousled, and his breathing was shallow and irregular as if at times he was forgetting to breathe. The thick blankets that pooled at his waist made him look even smaller. His eyes were hardly open as it was, dark irises barely peering under the heavy eyelids. This was a shell of his older brother. A hardly living shell. To kill him would not be revenge. He couldn't even stand let alone protect himself. To kill him wouldn't have satisfied Sasuke at all.

"Come sit, Otouto." Itachi's voice was rough, scratchy and just loud enough to be a whisper. The hours of screaming had taken its toll on the man's throat.

"I prefer to stand thanks," but he did get closer so he could at least hear. "Say your excuses already so I can leave."

"There are no excuses to make, brother. I did what I thought was necessary. It is as simple as that."

"Bullshit. It was _necessary_ to kill off our family? To kill the people who loved and cared for you?!" His fists shook. Sasuke couldn't help it, and he tried to stop it, digging his nails into his palm, drawing blood.

"I will tell you what occurred back then. I don't expect you to forgive me Sasuke. I never planned on that, and I never planned to tell you either. But because of recent events, I don't have much choice. If you are to get through this battle, your heart cannot waver."

"Then why not tell me from the beginning," he snapped, his temper flaring.

"Because you were not supposed to get involved. I had hoped to keep you from it all." He chuckled. "A sad notion on my part. I knew from the beginning that it would be futile. Uchihas never had a good destiny laid out ahead of us." At that moment he looked even more drained. "I'll tell you what happened back then. It started back when I left for training."

_"Itachi-kun, do not tell me you are reading Darwin again?"_

_Itachi looked up at the older boy leaning over him with an amused smile. He couldn't help but mirror it. "Is that a problem Shisui? I happen to find science and philosophy quite fascinating."_

_The elder boy just continued to smile. "Yesterday it was Socrates, the day before that John Locke, the day before that Descartes and Rousseau, and the day before that Francis Bacon. God forbid I go on about Voltaire, Aristotle, Newton, Hooke, Kelper . . . shall I go on?"_

_Itachi chuckled, sitting up. "You have brought your intentions across well enough. I have nothing to offer in way of my own defense other than my curiosity is insatiable. There is much of this world we are ignorant about. While my father appreciates the history aspect of my studies, he sees no purpose in the rest and often finds it distasteful if I should read these books in his presence. He says that human science is unreliable and is as fickle as humans are."_

_"Older vampires live in their stagnant world. My grandfather still believes the world is flat." Shisui agreed. "And what of our instructor? Is it so difficult to be punctual?"_

_"I am not certain. It is however not an Uchiha trait," though his voice was stern, Itachi's eyes twinkled with amusement._

_"Of course not, Fugaku Oji-san," Shisui laughed._

_"Uchihas laughing. I thought I'd never see the day." The sudden presence that appeared beside them had both Itachi and Shisui jumping back, kunais raised, searching for the intruder._

_A middle aged man with long white hair, pulled back into a ponytail, smiled at them. His dark eyes were full of mischief, but also calculating as he watched the two boys. "Glad to see your reflexes are in order," he smiled._

_"Ningen desu ka?" Shisui muttered._

_"So desu. Boku wa ningen desu." The man smiled at their bewildered faces ─though as Uchihas they were quite subtle about it._

_"What is a shinobi doing here?" Itachi asked. Shisui angled himself in front of him to get between him and the shinobi much to the younger Uchiha's annoyance._

_"I am here to train you of course. Was not a simple task to get here might I add. No one told me about the whole barrier thing." He laughed heartily._

_Shisui and Itachi shared a look. "No human has ever trained the Uchihas. Especially a shinobi," Shisui said coldly._

_"That is true," the man agreed. "However, me and your planned instructor thought it would be a wiser decision if you had a human instructor in order to tear down some of the tension between vampires and shinobi."_

_"And if we refuse?" Itachi asked cautiously._

_"You do not have a choice. Both of you are well aware that I am stronger than you. I will do neither of you harm, gaki, but I will not allow you to leave until you are able to defeat me together and have a good concept of how to continue your training alone for when you go back to your respective homes."_

_"Very well. When shall we begin?" Itachi ask, stepping out from behind his elder cousin to retrieve his book he had dropped when they had went on the defensive._

_"Now. Three days of your training has already past due to me being late. There is no time but the present."_

_Itachi paused. "Now?"_

_Ignoring the two, the man pulled out two silver bells. "Your goal is to collect the bells from me."_

_"That is all? Is that not too simple? Both of us have the sharingan already." Shisui asked, circling around the instructor._

_"I promise you, it won't be an issue."_

Itachi closed his eyes, thinking back on the memory. "Our sensei completely shut us down. I always knew that if trained correctly, shinobi could be as powerful as vampires. Despite being children, we had the sharingan. Both Shisui and I were pretty efficient with it, but it did not help as we thought it would. We were certain we'd be able to at least touch a bell. We were wrong. Not only did we not touch them, we couldn't even touch him.

"Father had always told us we were better than average humans. We were stronger and faster, and when we became vampires, we'd be even more so. In short, Father never considered his human children human, and for the most part, we believed him. I had my doubts. Doubts I didn't dwell on, until after I fought that man. He was stronger than some of our clan, and he had been right. He could have killed us if he wanted to, but he didn't. In the end, both Shisui and I lost miserably and any pride we had about being Uchihas was thrown far from our minds."

"And the instructor's name?" Sasuke asked.

"Hatake, Sakumo."

"Hatake?" Sasuke questioned.

"Hatake, Kakashi's great great grandfather. I was surprised to see his ancestor teaching both you and Naruto-kun in that shinobi school."

"Everything always comes around full circle." The youngest Uchiha whispered, quoting his father's favorite saying.

"Indeed it does. Hatake was a strict sensei, but he looked after us like we were his own. He told us about the history of shinobi, their ideals, their motivations. Most of what vampire's knew of them was wrong as were what they knew about us. Both sides judged the other based on the few who went against the norm. The vampires who went rogue and killed for fun, or the shinobi who enjoyed the hunt and killed vampire's indiscriminately. Eventually we met his son, Kakashi, your Kakashi's great grandfather. He partnered up with us, and we went on missions together, hunting down both rogue vampires and shinobi. We learned so much under our human teacher. Both Shisui and I who had hid our love for humanity, I for their lifestyle and knowledge, Shisui for their mortality, no longer had to veil that part of ourselves, and our teacher encouraged it and nurtured it, answering any questions we may have had.

"Those six months were too short. While we trained, Shisui became the strongest genjutsu user in our clan, and I became one of the best tacticians. With Kakashi as our senpai, we made a good team."

"So you made a good team, so what," Sasuke snapped. "This doesn't explain anything."

Itachi waited until the younger brother simmered down. Sasuke put a lid on his temper reluctantly. "It was great until Father found out. Sensei had wanted to reveal something to us. He said it was very important and that we deserved to know. He never had the opportunity to tell us. Father killed him before he could say anything." Itachi paused, considering his words. "Assassinated would have been a better word. Father killed him in his sleep while he was ill. We were greeted with Father waiting in Sensei's room for our return."

_Blood. It had seeped into the futon, staining it a dark brown. Blank, black eyes stared up at the ceiling, his body lifeless, and his skin pale. It was the only thing he could stare at despite his father's body partially blocking his view. He wasn't sure what expression was on his face. Perhaps nothing, not registering that his sensei was actually dead._

_"I see you have come back safely my son." His father's voice was cold and low. It was how he always sounded when Itachi had done something wrong, not that he was the cheerful, overly emotional father to begin with._

_"Yes, Father," he could barely hear himself talk. All he could think about was the bottle of medicine he held in his hands that Shisui and he had gone to fetch for his teacher in the nearby town. "You killed him," he said matter of factly, his own voice void of emotion._

_"I did. You will be coming home with me to finish your training." Fugaku moved out of the way, giving Itachi a good look at the dead body. Sakumo's throat had been ripped out._

_Itachi didn't move, he continued to stare. "I do not wish to, Father. I belong here."_

_Fugaku stopped, already halfway to the door. "You will come home. You have played being human long enough. "_

_**I am human.** "Let me bury the body._

_"There is no need. Leave it."_

_"Leaving a dead body exposed like this is breeding grounds for sickness." Itachi moved forward and kneeled before Sakumo's body, giving him a small prayer as he covered him with the blanket._

_"That is none of your concern. Leave it." Fugaku voice was full of quiet authority. His son could tell that he was glaring without having to turn around._

_**I am still human**. "This mansion is still training grounds for Uchiha who have not turned. It is best to keep the sickness out."_

_"It is nothing you need to worry about. " Itachi could hear the creaking of the floor boards as his father turned to leave._

_He was at the door when he replied, "I am still human. It is something I need to worry about. You may not recall your time as being human but I am still capable of getting ill and dying."_

_"You are not like the other worthless humans out there."_

_"But I am, Father," Itachi said, his voice quiet and subdued. "I bleed, I get sick, and I can die from a small infected cut or tumble down the stairs. Are you afraid to admit you love your human children?"_

_"You are an Uchiha. You are destined to become a vampire and join us."_

_The young man turned, staring down his father. "Any human can become a vampire. Being an Uchiha has nothing to do with it."_

_"Are you calling yourself human Itachi? There is not much of a future for humans." His father's eyes were cold, colder than he had ever seen them._

_"I do not understand."_

_Fugaku observed Itachi, looking him over, taking in his expression and stance. "You are young, but you have much potential, my son, potential to be the strongest out of all the Uchiha, maybe even as strong as the legendary Madara. But your heart wavers with human weakness. I think it is time to tell you of what is to come."_

"What do you mean, what is to come?" Sasuke interrupted again.

Despite Itachi's weakened body, he somehow managed to give him a scolding look for interrupting. "Shall I wait until you are willing to listen?"

The young vampire just grumbled. He didn't want to hear a life story; he wanted to hear the reason why his parents were killed.

When Sasuke made no more moves to interrupt, Itachi continued. "Father told me what our family was planning. They were planning to over throw the vampire council and take charge. They wanted vampires to take control again. They didn't want to hide anymore. They wanted all humans to remember us, and fear us, and they were going to start with blowing up parliament and the Buckingham palace. They planned to walk out of the wreckage killing the survivors and letting everyone see their superior might in the chaos.

"While shinobi dominantly reside in East Asia, the templars serve the same purpose in Europe. Using the confusion, Father planned to wipe out the templars before moving in on shinobi headquarters while they were busy spreading their forces thin for damage control." Itachi's eyes became distant as he spoke.

"It was going to be a blood bath Sasuke. Hundreds of thousands dying, both human and vampire. Without a vampire council there would be no laws, no regulations to keep both humans and vampires safe and there would be nothing to keep balance. If vampires over feed, then there will not be enough humans to go around, and without the shinobi, templars, or other humans who safe guard the humans, there will be no one to keep vampires in check.

"There is a balance Sasuke. Life and death, humans and undead, progression and stagnation. Father sought to disturb the balance. I tried to dissuade him of his plan of course, but he would not listen."

Itachi let out a tired sigh, something Sasuke had never seen his elder brother do. "Father wanted what was best for us. I understand that. I understood it back then as well, but no matter how much I tried, Father would not listen to reason. After a month of trying, I stopped. I knew what I had to do in order to stop him, but I was not strong enough.

"A month later, Shisui and I met up in Scotland at Mealt Falls."

_He didn't like it. It was out in the open where anyone could see them. Granted it was the night of the new moon in the country side to boot, but it was still disconcerting._

_Itachi kept his face neutral as he made his way to the top of the falls. The cliffs the river went over were a straight 55m drop down. The cliff side was smooth with no protruding rocks to jump or hold on to if one were to fall and the surface was slick with moisture. At the bottom were rocks that went out 90m away from the waterfall. Even a trained shinobi would have difficulty surviving._

_Deciding that looking over the side of a cliff that dangerous was a bad idea, he checked his surroundings again. Shisui was dressed in the uniform Hatake-sensei gave them, the traditional shinobi outfit. He wore the Konoha hitai-ate over his forehead proudly, but one eye was closed with dry blood trailing underneath it._

_"Shisui. What happened?"_

_The elder teen looked over at him, a soft, but weak, smile gracing his pale features. "I was attacked by a young shinobi who calls himself Danzo. He took my eye from me."_

_"Tell me where he dwells and I will─" Shisui raised his hand, silencing the younger male. "Itachi, that is not important at this time. I have come to tell you I have been working for the Sandaime of Konoha named Sarutobi."_

_"How? He would know you are Uchiha."_

_"Kakashi spoke for me. He knows of what the Uchiha plans to do. He wants to help us stop it with as little bloodshed as possible."_

_"Then we are fortunate. We can negotiate─"_

_"Itachi . . . you and I both know there will be no negotiating."_

_He did know. He had hoped it wouldn't come to such measures. In 5 months, the Uchihas will gather for one final strategy meeting before the plan was set into motion. It was their chance to put an end to the plan. "I know."_

_"Sarutobi knows what we plan to do. He promises to smear only our names and not the clan itself."_

_Itachi nodded. "We are not strong enough to take out all the Uchiha however."_

_"That is true. However with the mangekyo, you will be very close." Itachi's chest tightened at the insinuation, taking in that ever gentle smile._

_"No! I will not let you forfeit your life just so that we may stand a chance against them."_

_Shisui continued to smile, taking a step closer to the edge of the cliff. "You are kind Itachi. You look for the best in everyone while still not allowing it to cloud your senses. You would make a good leader some day if you were given the chance. Sasuke is lucky to have a brother like you."_

_"Shisui! Don't do it. Come back towards me." The elder Uchiha saw the panic in the young man's eyes. He was still a child. Only fourteen years of age. It was hard to remember that under his cool, grown up exterior. "Do not jump. I cannot do this on my own."_

_"You will be fine, cousin. Take care of Sasuke-kun." His gloved fingers moved to his remaining eye._

_"If you take out that eye, I will resurrect you only to send you to hell with that accursed thing." Itachi snapped, his eyes bright with unshed tears._

_It took Shisui by surprise to hear such words coming from the normally proper boy. So much so, that he laughed, bringing his hand back to his side. "Very well, I will not bestow you with a parting gift." He grinned. "Sayounara, Itachi."_

_It seemed to go in slow motion as he took the last step back that brought him over the ledge. His body fell, his smile the last thing the young man saw before there was nothing. He could not bring himself to look over the edge to search for him, to see if he had actually died. He would not be able to bear the sight of the mangled body on the blood stained rocks, or watch as it slipped into the sea._

_Tears finally spilled over. Why must he be the one to do this? Why must he lose his only friend to this? How was he to protect Sasuke from the misguided words of his father? He was one man . . . one boy."_

_"I am sorry for your friend."_

_Itachi whirled around at the sudden presence, already weaving hand signs in preparation for an attack. A man standing about six foot in a dark cloak and wearing an orange mask stood before him. Even seeing him, Itachi could not feel any presence from him. He could not hear the rustle of his cloak or sense any chakra flowing through him or hear a heartbeat. There was nothing but silence. "Who are you?"_

_"My name is Madara. I am here to help you with your little problem."_

"The man who called himself Madara helped me kill off the Uchiha clan 5 months later. He trained me to use the mangekyo."

"So you did not do it by yourself." Sasuke asked. He should have known. Despite how strong Itachi was, it would have been impossible to kill so many vampires in a closed space even with the mangekyo, but the imagination of a young child could easily believe the impossible, especially one so scared.

"No. I did however kill our parents myself. I will not lie and say I did not." Itachi closed his eyes as exhaustion took over. He was barely conscious, but he was fighting it with the little strength he did have.

"How could you? Surely you could have tried harder to convince them." He said desperately. He could no longer sit still and was pacing. His hands went behind his back then at his sides then running threw his hair. He didn't know what to do with them.

"You were there Sasuke. You saw the results of the arguments. Towards the end I was getting anxious and desperate. It became harder to keep my cool. I spent my time meditating or training for what was going to come, my anger and depression close to the surface. I worked it to my advantage. I made a show of the behavior, exaggerated it, and made myself look unstable. No one would question if I suddenly went mad and killed everyone. It certainly worked. You never questioned my actions."

Sasuke never did, that was true. "But they were still Mother and Father. How could you not at least give them a warning or something?"

"Both Father and Mother were well aware of my intentions when I entered the sitting room that night," the words were barely a wisp of air from his lips. "They did not even put up a fight."

"Then how could you?!"

"You are a kind child, my son," Itachi quoted, his eyes staring at the canopy in memory. "This will be harder for you than it will be for us. While our pain will last a moment, yours will last for eternity. You have chosen a difficult path, but it is your path. You have chosen your ideals and you are putting everything on the line to keep them. It is the Uchiha way, and I am proud to call you my son." A single tear fell. He did not move to wipe it away as the motion required more energy than he had. "Those were the last words our Father spoke, and true to his word, they have stayed with me since that night. Those words and his actions have caused me more pain than if they had fought back as they could not bring themselves to kill their own son."

A vulnerable Itachi. Something that Sasuke could not wrap his mind around even with him lying before him. Itachi had chosen this path himself. Sasuke would not pity him for his choices. "And what happened to Madara?"

"I apologize. I am unable to say anything more about Madara or the man named Obito than what I have told you."

Anger bubbled to the surface. "After everything, you will still keep secrets from me?"

"You misunderstand. I am physically unable to. While I was captive, Tobi made sure that I was unable to tell his secrets to no one. He placed a curse seal on my person that makes me unable to speak a word involving his plans, motives, and history."

"Of course he did," the younger muttered, stalling his pacing long enough to feel out where his mate was. Naruto had left the room. Figures. "Anything else I should know about?"

Silence followed the question. Itachi had finally succumbed to fatigue. Growling and worked up, Sasuke left to seek out his mate.

* * *

"Shisui had left to get food for all of us. While you and Shisui have sworn off blood, we have a human and my mate who still needs to eat solids and a newly turned and myself who require sustenance as well." Sasuke's voice sounded bitter. He never meant it to. After three months of going over the explanation in his head, he understood. He understood the delicate balance in the ever changing world. Being close to the council as he had and mingling in the human world, he understood better than most. Even understanding what he did, he could not push the anger and sadness that occupanied the sight of his brother, could not push away the memory of him covered in his parents' blood.

So Sasuke kept his back towards his brother as Itachi walked onto the large balcony. He never pushed or urged Sasuke to face him, never forced the younger male to talk to him, and truthfully, Itachi's acceptance of Sasuke's attitude towards him pissed Sasuke off to no end. Itachi was so goddamned perfect. Always was, always will be. That was why his father doted on the elder brother wasn't it? Cause he was so goddamned perfect. How did he ever look up to such a person?

"I see. He must have left early before the weather turned for the worse."

There was a pregnant pause between them. The only sound was Naruto's curses. "What the fuck Kakashi?! That fucking hurt! . . . . Don't be so goddamn rough! . . . Slower! Slower goddamn it! I'm not used to this! . . . Ahhh!" Sasuke's curiosity was peeking at such vague statements. What were they doing over there?

"Would you like to make me your opponent?"

Sasuke snorted. "You're barely healed, and you're a shell of your former self. It would be an insult to my pride if I were to fight you as you are."

"I may not be as strong as I once was, nor will I ever be if I do not drink, but you will still find me quite an adversary if you fight me." Itachi's presence was like the wind where it could come off as a gentle almost unnoticeable breeze, lulling you into a false sense of security before it became a hurricane that knocked you off your feet. The young Uchiha could feel that wind move closer, shifting constantly. "Tomorrow, we will fight. You will resolve your anger with me and you will ask the questions you have been wanting to ask me. Until then, grab Naruto-kun and the others and meet in the sitting room. It is time to see what is going on in the real world."

Before Sasuke could inquire about what he meant, he saw a red Honda Passport come up the drive way. He groaned when Kisame stepped out of the car. "Damn Uchiha, making me come out in the middle of nowhere," the man grumbled, slamming the door shut. "You owe me Itachi!"

Itachi looked over the railing, unimpressed. "Kisame, you are late."

"Hn, shove it you snobby bastard. I did what you asked." The bluish grey skinned man waved a briefcase at them.

Sasuke was about to ask what was in the briefcase when he was shoved aside roughly by a yellow blur landing hard on his ass. "You! I got a bone to pick with you!" Naruto yelled, leaning dangerously over the balcony rail.

"Still got that fire, brat? Don't worry; I'll knock you around for a bit before I leave." Naruto growled at the man's laugh.

"You wait right there!" The next second, Naruto was back inside, racing to meet Kisame on the ground floor.

Itachi waited for his partner in crime to enter the building before he chuckled. "Your mate is very energetic."

The young raven didn't dignify that with an answer, getting up from the ground and silently went inside ignoring his chuckling older brother following him.

It shouldn't have surprised him that Naruto was trying to pick a fight with the shark like man. Naruto had told him how Kisame had beaten him to the edge of his life for two weeks straight and the teen had held that grudge since then. The problem was he had assumed Naruto was smart enough not to use the furniture in his revenge scheme.

Kisame dodged another lamp that smashed into the wall behind him, looking purely amused when the teen leapt at him with kitchen knives. "Why isn't that cute, you actually have a backbone now, brat. " He laughed, dodging another knife, thrown his way. "Your aim's definitely improved."

"Why I oughta," Naruto growled, picking up the side table.

Sighing at the stupidity of it all, Sasuke picked up Naruto by his waist and carried him to the sofa. "Bastard! Put me down! I'll beat the shit out of you next!"

Kisame raised an eyebrow then turned to Itachi. "Mates?" He asked. Itachi gave him a curt nod. "Well I'll be damned."

"You got a problem with that, shark face!" Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blonde's antics.

"New mates make me sick. Can't keep their hands off each other and going off to have sex at every opportunity. Then the lovey dovey eyes," a shiver went up the man's spine. "Disgusting."

"Fuck you! You're just jealous!"

"As fascinating as this conversation is, I suggest we get this meeting done with so we all may get back to our training regimens," the elder Uchiha easily stopped the argument without raising his voice.

While Kisame grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, everyone sat down, including Kakashi who had walked in.

"Kisame, you have news for us?" Itachi inquired.

"To put it bluntly, everything is going to shit." Inside the leather briefcase, Kisame pulled out newspapers, magazines, and other various papers with statistics. "Sasori has taken control of creating the vampire council as discreetly as he can, but that also leaves the morgue unattended and news of their destruction has already reached the ears of most. Rogues are moving freely and there are more and more reported deaths of drained corpses in the human news. Meanwhile, the two brats are still being hunted down as terrorists despite Danzo's fall. It is a last ditch effort by the shinobi to cover the existence of vampires, but it's not gonna last. The reports of vampire sightings are sky rocketing. The net is going crazy. While some think its cool, others are looking to hunt and eradicate vampires. Some of Danzo's old followers are fueling that fire."

"This is all over the world?" Sasuke asked, picking up an Indian newspaper.

"Yeah. It's looking to be an all out war. Governments are trying to assure the people that it's all fabrication of overzealous imaginations, but it's falling apart. The world is going to find out about our existence again, and it looks like it's going to be another vampire hunt."

"And we still do not know what Obito is planning." Sasuke said, looking at Itachi who stayed silent.

Naruto made himself comfortable in Sasuke's lap since it became obvious the vampire wasn't going to release him anytime soon. "So what's the plan?"

Itachi stood. "We return to Konoha."


	2. My Brother, the Doctor

It was strange to be leaving. For three and a half months, it had been nothing but sparring. Never mind eating or sleeping, if either him or Sasuke was breathing, they were sparring. Sasuke with Shisui, Naruto with Kakashi and later Kisame; though, Naruto definitely preferred Kakashi over Kisame for obvious reasons. Going back to civilization, going back to the real world, it seemed unreal now. Like attending school was another lifetime ago.

Still there was one thing on Naruto's mind he had not been able to shake since they had arrived here. It had been eating him up inside. He hadn't had the chance to speak to Sasuke about it. Between their two training schedule's they haven't had time. They were training almost twenty hours a day. By the time it was time to rest, they were too tired to say much to one another. They slipped in bed still in their bloodied clothes, and fell asleep instantly. There wasn't even time for a quick make out session.

But still it was in the back of his mind, plaguing his dreams. Would he have done it?

For the first time since his brutal schedule started, he had the night off. In two days, they were heading back to Konoha, so Naruto was taking time to take in the cool night air. The mountains were really beautiful. It was a shame they weren't here to enjoy it.

"Dobe, what are you doing out here? I know idiots can't catch colds, but it doesn't mean you should try." Naruto felt the weight of a heavy wool blanket drape around his shoulders and the presence of his mate behind him.

"Thanks," he said, giving him a small lopsided grin. He looked out into the mountainside again, becoming lost in his thoughts.

"No name calling and you're quiet. Now I know something's wrong with you." It was meant to be a joke, but Naruto didn't comment on it. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he whispered. "What's wrong?"

"You know, it's kind of weird for you to hold me like this. A part of me still wants to believe we're still at your mansion, dancing around each other, pretending to hate one another, and tolerating one another." He leaned back into his lover's arms.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" Sasuke asked.

"Just . . . it all happened so fast you know? I knew you for two months before practically skipping the whole dating thing and getting hitched, and now we've already been married for almost four. Out of the two months dating, and we were apart for two weeks, and the four months married we've barely spent five days together total in that entire time."

Sasuke tensed behind him. "Are you regretting your decision?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I wouldn't change anything. Just hard to adjust given everything that's happened. In my head, your more like my boyfriend than my . . . husband."

Sasuke was not okay with that. Boyfriend did not imply long term commitment, but he swallowed his feelings and said nothing. Naruto was younger than him. It was to be expected at his age. "Was that what you've been thinking about lately?"

"No," the fledging deflated. He was silent for a bit then spoke in a quiet voice. "Sasuke, I . . . When we were in the genjutsu . . . Sasuke, I tried to kill someone."

"Is there more to this, or do I have to guess the details?"

"You're such an asshole," Naruto muttered. Louder he said, "back in the genjutsu, there was a guy. He was stabbed through the heart, but he wasn't alive or dead. I don't know what he was." Naruto shook his head. "But I felt something coming from him and I wanted to make sure he was dead. I almost succeeded too. My blade was to his neck when Tobi stopped me. I don't know if I should be happy about that or upset. I swore to myself I wouldn't take another life. After what happened with your brother, I said I would never do it again. Two seconds later, and it's the only thing I could think of at that moment." He paused, afraid to say his next words. "Do you think I'm changing?"

Sasuke rested his chin on Naruto's shoulder. "Idiot"

"Hey!" Naruto shouted angrily, turning in his lover's arms only to find Sasuke's lips on his.

"You're still the same moron I fell in love with," he whispered softly. "You wouldn't be worrying so much if you weren't."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but was kissed once again. The kiss drained whatever argument the blond had out of him, sighing in content instead. When they parted, he rested his forehead against Sasuke's. "I hate when you do that."

"Only way to shut you up," Sasuke smiled. "As for your concerns, I do not believe you give yourself enough credit. Perhaps you were about to give in. If anyone knows anything about giving up everything for revenge, it's me. Trust me when I say, if you were truly obsessed with killing that guy the moment you saw him, you would not have stopped. Tobi or no Tobi. You would have finished the job then, but you didn't. You made the mistake once, now you can avoid doing it again in the future."

"You're right," Naruto mumbled, capturing his lips one more time before pulling away. "How was training?"

Sasuke's smile turned into a scowl. "My brother wishes to spar against me again."

Naruto winced. "Didn't he knock you out in less than a minute last time?"

Sasuke glared at him. "I thought we agreed we were to never speak of that again."

"Sorry, but . . . I mean it wasn't even a battle, and he's supposed to be weak! You said a shell of what he really is. If you got beaten so easily and Itachi lost to Tobi . . . how are we to win?"

"It's been three weeks since that fight; I've improved much since then." Sasuke's good mood seemed to have officially ended.

Naruto still had doubts but didn't push. Itachi was something else. Sasuke was smart, but Itachi even more so. Naruto knew exactly how weak Itachi was now after getting some lessons from Kakashi. The shinobi had told Naruto to imagine being on the brink of starvation, just on your last leg before you close your eyes and kill over. And that was after only going a month without blood. Itachi had gone much longer, and the blood given to him to heal was barely enough to do just that. He refused to take more. Meaning, Sasuke was much stronger than his brother, yet Itachi was the one who was victorious by an overwhelming margin.

And while Naruto was beginning to trust Itachi, especially after hearing about some of Itachi's reasons, he wasn't so sure about Kisame. Itachi had eased off the intimidation techniques and spoke with a bit more warmth whenever he addressed him or Sasuke, but Itachi was just as closed off when it came to talking to his partner, leading the teen to believe that not even Itachi trusted him.

"Sure you have. I could probably kick your ass now," Naruto smirked.

"Oh really?" Sasuke seemed unimpressed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I may not have mastered the sage arts, but my taijutsu's better than ever. How about another wrestling match?"

"You keep moving your lips, Dobe, but nothing is coming out. Besides, I can't waste time pinning you down to a mattress when I have to face my brother tomorrow."

Naruto flushed. "I never said anything about a mattress."

"You know how it is, Dobe." Sasuke backed him into a wall; arm either side of the blond's head. "We fight. I pin you, you try to fight it," Sasuke breathed against his ear. "And it all ends with me inside you, claiming you right there."

A soft moan escaped Naruto before he could think better of it. It had been so long since he had Sasuke to himself. Before he knew it, Sasuke was pulling away from him again. "You're a tease," he panted.

Sasuke eyes flitted to the right. "It's not nice to eaves drop, Aniki."

Itachi came around the corner frowning. "I did not wish to interrupt you and was considering leaving you two; though, I must admit, I miss you calling me nii-san."

Sasuke's eyes were still cold towards Itachi. "I think you lost the right to have me be so respectful to you, and I am no longer a child. Aniki will suit you just fine."

Itachi's eyes seemed to darken for a moment before hidden behind his Uchiha mask. "Of course, Sasuke." Itachi dropped the "otouto" he was so fond of using. It was more modern for the older to refer to the younger by name, but it didn't have the warmth the elder Uchiha had when using the title. "I came to say that our match will be postponed. I will be heading to the city with Kisame first to see if it is safe for everyone else. "

"I don't need you to tell me where you'll be. You hadn't bothered the past 100 years. Don't start now."

Itachi bowed his head. "As you wish." He left without another word.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" Naruto received a glare for his question. He glared back.

"Let's just go to bed," Sasuke said, his irritation deflating to a lesser degree.

Naruto walked passed him, punching his shoulder hard. "Don't think you're getting any after pulling that stunt just now."

"What? You rather me continue and put on a show for my brother?" Sasuke followed a step behind.

"If we haven't done anything for four months, then yes. I'm not going celibate after getting hitched dammit."

The vampire chuckled. "I'm glad you have your priorities in order, baka."

Blue eyes glanced at him. "I'll reconsider if you let me top."

"Hn, not if your life depended on it."

"Controlling bastard."

* * *

Itachi stumbled into the hospital, cursing under his breath. He had underestimated his enemy, something he did not tend to do. To be so much stronger than he had predicted . . .

Glancing at his bleeding side, he gauged how slowly it was healing. At the rate it was going, he might as well have been human. He needed to stop the blood flow. He couldn't waste what little blood he had, and he was leaving a trail.

It was a weeknight, and it was relatively quiet in the country hospital. With the newer and bigger hospital in Konoha, this hospital was in its last days before closing down for good. It was good news for him though. It was easy to maneuver past the doctors and few patients wondering around.

He ignored the pain, his hand slick with warm blood. He turned the corner as another nurse approached. He just needed to get a doctor alone.

"Sir, can I help you?"

Itachi gave no sign of his surprise. He did not even sense him. Slowly, he turned around, his face carefully blank.

The man looked at him with concern. The man was of medium build and height, and his hair was gray and flying in all directions as if the man never considered combing his hair before, but it was the white coat that drew Itachi's interest. "My god! You're bleeding!"

"If you wouldn't mind doctor, I could use some stitches."

"Of course, of course, right this way." The man put his arm around the slightly taller one. "Lean on me until we get you to a wheel chair."

"I can walk. The wheelchair is not necessary."

"Well luckily for you, we don't need to get you a pair of wheels to drive you to the examination room," he laughed obnoxiously. "Get it? Because you don't need a wheel chair to make you or "drive" you to go to the examination room?"

"I got it . . . unfortunately," the elder Uchiha muttered. "Are you certain you're a doctor?"

"Don't worry lad, I'll get you fixed up as good as new as long as you get some bed rest." The man was practically beaming.

Itachi closed his eyes, trying hard not to say anything. This man was odd to say the least, and he seemed to like to hear himself talk. It was a relief in itself just to get to the room. He discarded his blood soaked, black dress shirt and activated his sharingan.

The man was startled at first until his features eased into a stoic expression, unable to look away.

"Fix this," he grunted, lying down on the table.

The doctor moved without another word, putting on his latex gloves he grabbed his supplies: peroxide, needle, thread, gauze, and medical tape.

The Uchiha glanced at the wound. It was a pretty big gash in his side, just under the rib and fairly deep. He barely felt the needle prick his skin as the doctor began his work. The human had swift steady hands and was skilled with the needle. He made the stitches neat and evenly spaced. The whole process barely took five minutes.

The human had just finished taping the gauze over the stitching when the vampire felt the subtle power of another being. He sat up with such speed; it pulled the skin just stitched back up. More carefully, he left the room. The signature he had felt disappeared as quickly as it had come. Someone was here; the question was, if it was a coincidence or if they were looking for him. Either way, he did not have time or energy to deal with them. He intended to leave quietly and rethink his plan to confront Obito.

He headed towards the back of the hospital, planning to leave the way he came. There was a door slightly ajar that had been previously locked. It wasn't his place to meddle, he should just continue on. Just as he passed the door, he heard a stifled scream. Damn. This was not his day.

Changing direction, he pushed the door open and slipped inside. The sight he was greeted with was a familiar one. A tall man stood in the middle of the dark room, a woman dangling lifelessly in his arms as his shark like teeth tore into her neck, ripping out a large chunk. There were two other people dead at his feet, one nurse, the other a doctor. Each body with the same parts missing: the neck, the breast, and parts of the thighs. There was only one human still alive, huddled in a corner too afraid to move, shivering. There was a strong scent of urine mixed in with the blood.

"That is a waste of food. One human should have been enough don't you think?"

The man looked at the intruder with distain. His beady eyes focused on him. "What is an immortal like you doing here?"

"Is there really a need to kill four humans? You draw unnecessary attention this way." Itachi stepped over the bodies without looking at them, keeping his eyes on the creature in front of him. "I have never seen one of you before. Characteristics of a demon and a ghoul."

The man chuckled. "I don't know what the hell I am. All I do know is that you're interrupting my lunch."

"And your reason for four of them?"

The man shrugged. "I like certain parts. I eat what I want."

"Then perhaps you should be less picky about what you eat and let the last one go," Itachi said in a cold voice, his eyes bleeding red.

"And what will you do if I don't cooperate, little vampire?" The man grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "You're looking a little pale there."

"I can be very persuasive," his sharingan activated, the commas spinning.

The man grabbed a large sword resting against the wall. "We'll see about that."

Itachi sidestepped, in time to see the sword swing down from above to his left. He wasn't in any condition to fight. He knew that. A sigh escaped him as he had to back hand spring out of the way for the next attack, opening his stitches. This was annoying, and he didn't have time for this. He ducked as the sword went over his head, and pushed forward knocking the man off balance and causing him to fall into the shelving.

He must have lost more blood than he thought. He didn't notice the water from the leaking faucet form a thin rope that tied around his ankle. It was no trouble to break the rope made out of water with a little chakra focused into his leg, but it distracted him long enough for the man to throw his sword at him. Itachi moved just enough to dodge, conserving his energy; however, the sword seemed to come to life at the last minute, changing its direction just enough that anyone without Itachi's eyes would not have seen it. He lacked the strength to dodge so quickly and the sword added another deep wound to his good side.

The demon's laugh echoed in the room. "You're very weak. Weaker than I thought. You should have been able to dodge that, and I can tell you're bleeding from an old wound. When was the last time you ate?"

The vampire's eyes narrowed. "You chose a very bad place to pick a fight with me."

"Really?" The man looked unconvinced. He stood up, sword somehow in hand. He moved with inhuman speed. Itachi brought his arm up to block the strike; the force of the blow sending him threw the wall into the next room.

The man followed after the raven, stepping through the rubble laughing. "How exactly is this a bad idea?"

Itachi looked up, a bag of blood in his mouth. He had grabbed it just after he was hit. He bit down hard, bursting the bag open and spilling most of the contents on his front, staining his clothes and lips with red.

"You think one bag of blood will help you? It's not even fresh. You're better off drinking water."

"The thing about starving yourself is that even something as innutritious as old blood can make a huge difference." He rose, power emanating off of him in steady waves.

The sudden power caused the demon to pause. "Nice trick, but it's a bluff. I bet that little display took everything you have."

"Is that so?" Itachi almost sounded amused. "Are you sure?" he said meeting his gaze.

The human who was meant to be the fourth victim ventured to look through the hole in the wall. It had take her a moment to collect herself, but not too long. Perhaps a minute or so. All she could see was the man who had threatened her on his knees, clutching his head muttering to himself, shaking as badly as she had been, and the man who came to save her standing before him.

"You have a choice," the raven said in cold even tones. "You can come with me and work for me or," Itachi moved his hand, and the assailant flinched harshly at the small unthreatening movement, "you can stay here for the rest of your life reliving through that nightmare."

"I'll come with you, just don't," the man's voice shook with fear.

"What is your name?"

"Kisame," the demon didn't even look up.

"Alright Kisame, take the bodies and find me a car."

Kisame was on his feet in a moment, hurrying towards the door. "And Kisame," the demon paused. "Don't try to escape. I'll find you." The blue-gray man nodded frantically and was out the door.

Itachi sagged to the floor. The Mangekyo used more power than he hoped and now he was craving blood after tasting it for the first time in 22 years. He hardly noticed the human who was buried underneath the rubble. The doctor who had helped him was barely breathing. He would die, and it would have been his fault because he had decided to get involved instead of leaving. "You're going to die," he stated bluntly.

The doctor looked up, smiling a bit. "My wife said coming back to work today was a bad idea. Said I'd get crushed by the work load if I didn't take it easy. Should have," he coughed weakly. "Stayed with the wife. Just had a . . . a baby girl."

Itachi glanced at the human woman who stared at him and quickly wiped her memory and put her to sleep with a genjutsu. "I never did get your name doctor."

"Haruno. Haruno, Kizashi." The man's voice was getting weak. He didn't have long.

"I can save you, but you won't be human anymore," Itachi pulled out a cigarette, trying to find a lighter in his torn pants.

"Wh-what will I b-be?"

"A ghoul. I would have turned you into a vampire, but you won't survive long enough for the change." He was successful in finding his lighter and lit up. It wasn't his pipe, but it will do.

"You know, sm-sm-smoking can k-k-kill you."

Itachi lifted an eyebrow and took an especially long drag just to prove how much he cared about the statement.

"W-will I s-see my d-daughter again? "

"Yeah, but you will never age, the only way to die is from beheading you, and you must eat human flesh to survive. Obtaining flesh shouldn't be too hard for a doctor. After all, there is ample amounts of dead bodies to feed from."

The man was quiet. That was a first. His brown eyes stared at the ceiling. "What's the catch?"

"You would work for me as I would be the one to sire you. You would pay money to me once a year. Not much. Two percent of your entire profits for the year. I won't ask for your help often, just to stitch me back up once in a while. You can continue your life as you have been doing."

"And my wife?"

"If you wish to tell her the truth you can. If she ever becomes ill, dies unexpectedly, or just wishes to join you, it is possible to change her as well, and I will do it for you. Otherwise, you must keep what you are a secret from the world, and you must never betray me. Those are the conditions."

The man was quiet a little longer. "I want to see them."

Leaving the cigarette hanging from his lips, he knelt beside the dying man and sliced his hand open with a broken piece of wall. He held the wound over the dying man's lips. The blood dripped into his mouth. The man swallowed once before he took his last breath.

Itachi took another drag from his cigarette. He exhaled slowly staring at the corpse. Well, he swallowed before he died. He had all the time in the world to turn him now. He'd have Kisame come and pick up the body with the others.

Getting up, he put out the cigarette. He might have gotten away with smoking in the hospital in the 60s, but not now. He cleaned his face and put on the doctor's coat, fixed his hair, and left just as others arrived on the scene. It was time to get out of here. "Excuse me! Doctor! Doctor!"

Itachi was approached by a tall bright blond man, with bright blue eyes. Itachi was a bit surprised to see a foreigner in Konoha.

"I apologize. I know you must be busy, but my wife thinks the baby is ready to come. The nurse left to go get the doctor some time ago, and she hasn't been back."

"Do you know how much she was dilated the last time she was checked?" this was turning out to be a long night indeed.

"I think it was 6 centimeters," the young man was flustered, showing obvious signs of being a first time father. "Sorry, just a bit nervous."

"Let me lead you to someone who can help you, there is a reception desk that can─"

"Can you take a look at her?"

"I am not a maternity doctor. I don't know how much help I can be." It's true that he knew how to deliver a baby. He worked with the midwives before, much to their displeasure, but his father had once wanted him to become a doctor and midwives had a higher success rate when delivering children. Now he knew why of course. The midwives had washed their hands. Something so simple made such a huge difference. At the time however, he felt it was more of a woman thing. That opinion still hadn't quite left him.

"Please, I've been searching for ten minutes, and you're the first I doctor I've run into."

He was too nice. "What's the room number?"

The dead doctor and nurse must have been the maternity doctor because no one came the entire time he delivered the baby. It only took fifteen minutes. The baby really had been coming when he entered. He was worried the umbilical cord was going to wrap around the child's neck, a complication he would not know how to fix, but they were lucky.

Wiping the child off with a clean towel, he bundled the baby up in a blanket, handing it to the mother. She had bright red hair, and had quite a foul mouth as she cursed both him and her husband out while she had been in labor. As she held her child, a beautiful smile graced her lips as she cried. "Hey there troublemaker," she whispered, taking the child's small hand between hers. "So you're the one constantly kicking me."

Her husband stood beside her, smiling down at their newborn child.

Itachi slipped out of the room, pulling out another cigarette. Proprieties be damned. He needed a smoke. He also really needed to get out of here. Too much blood and illness in the air was too tempting now that he had tasted human blood after so long. It never got easier. "Thank you." It was the husband.

"It's nothing. It's my job." Itachi replied easily.

The blond human snatched the cigarette from his lips, causing the raven to glare. "You're a vampire aren't you?"

Itachi stiffened. "How long have you known?"

"About 10 seconds after I met you. At first I thought you really were a doctor even though I knew what you were. You managed to deliver my son safely, so I wasn't wrong, but since your white jacket is staining red, I'm thinking your not a doctor at this hospital."

Itachi glanced down to see it was true. "Why did you allow me to do so if you knew?"

"What? A vampire can't be a doctor? It'd be hard, but it wouldn't impossible," the human's smile was easy going and confident.

"You are right. Given that you know I'm assuming you're a hunter. Shinobi? Templar? Area 51?"

The man laughed nervously. "Would you believe that I'm the Yondaime?"

Just his luck, he just delivered the Yondaime's son. Itachi pulled out another cigarette, staying out of reach of the Yondaime this time. "Will you warn your comrades about me?"

The man looked legitimately surprised he would suggest such a thing. "Why? You're just living your life. You haven't done anything wrong. In fact, besides the ghoul running around the hospital killing the staff, I don't see a problem."

So that's why the human didn't bother looking for anyone else. He knew the staff was too preoccupied with the crime scene, and also probably why the shinobi gambled with him hoping he was a real doctor.

Itachi looked ahead and tensed.

"Tobi, hurry up!" snapped a young man who looked to be in his late teens, searching the lobby. He had yet to look down the corridor.

"Of course, Sasuke-sama," Tobi bowed, fumbling with a planner in his hands. Itachi cursed inwardly. That bastard was sneaky to play dirty like that.

"I know you're new, but if you keep fumbling around like an idiot, I'll have you replaced."

"Of course, Sasuke-sama." The man pulled out a large bulky cellphone. "The intel said he was here. I'm sure he is."

"I have to go," Itachi murmured to the human, walking quickly in the opposite direction of his brother.

"We named him Naruto," the Yondaime, said just loud enough for Itachi to hear, apparently the human was smart enough to realize what was going on. "So you know whose birthday it is today."

Itachi smiled a bit as he retreated. The child's mother must have named him that. The father seemed too sensible to name his child fishcake. He took another route to the back of the hospital, where Kisame was waiting for him with the car. It seemed he had recovered somewhat from his Mangekyo. He was impressive to have done so. There was still a fear hidden in the depths of his eyes when he looked at the Uchiha, but did much better at hiding it.

"Did you get all the bodies?"

"Of course I did," Kisame said in a haughty tone. He looked away when Itachi raised an eyebrow in question.

"Then let's get out of here. I know a place."

"What? Am I your servant now, 'cause I rather you killed me."

"Not my servant . . . more like a partner." Itachi got into the passenger seat, not waiting for Kisame to sort out whether he should make a run for it or not.

After a few seconds, the hybrid ghoul got in. "Where to?"

Meanwhile Sasuke was scowling. It appeared that he had just missed his brother judging by how old the blood in hallway was. After searching all night, there were no clues. Not even the cameras picked up anything. Always missing by just a hair.

The only encouragement was that this was the closest he had ever come to finding Itachi, and it was thanks to his new assistant.

Sasuke looked at the hole in the wall one last time before calling it quits. As he walked out, he sidestepped out of the nurse's way who was pushing the crib of a newborn past him. The baby was small, pink and had so little hair, it looked bald even with the small tuft of bright blond strands. It whimpered, getting ready to cry. The young Uchiha did not do children. Scowling at the child, he high-tailed it out of there before any wail could ruin his precious hearing.

* * *

Itachi awoke to the passing scenery of the familiar buildings of Konoha. The sun was shining, and the city itself was being rebuilt; however, there was a dark cloud hanging over the city. The tension was thick, a scent of fear hovering in the air. There were checkpoints throughout the city, stopping cars and checking the insides.

The humans did not know what they were looking for. Unless they were shinobi, they most likely wouldn't recognize a vampire or ghoul if they saw one. And even if they did, they would most likely be put under a genjutsu. Still, humans tended to act irrationally when frightened, and right now, the entire city was on edge.

"Where to?" Kisame asked, making a left onto the main road that ran through town.

"Just drive around for now," he ordered.

The hybrid grunted in confirmation. It was amazing how far this relationship had come since that night 17 years ago. He trusted Kisame enough to actually sleep in his presence. He couldn't remember another person he had ever done that with. They might even have a . . . friendship of sorts. Kisame of course would never admit such a thing aloud, but there was definitely respect and no longer just fear. It didn't mean Itachi would trust him with his entire plan or let him into his thoughts, but to have reached this extent was a nice change of pace.

His thoughts drifted to Sasuke and his new brother-in-law. Such a small world. The Yondaime's son and his precious little brother. He allowed a small smile. No, Naruto didn't need to know he helped bring him into the world. Even if he hadn't been there that night, he was sure Kushina would have been able to do it on her own. Even now he could hear the woman's loud and colorful words. She would have been fine.

Putting the memory aside, he picked up his cell phone and dialed, waiting patiently for the person on the other side to pick up. "Haruno-san . . . It is a pleasure to hear from you as well . . .Yes, I need a favor."


	3. Kage Summit

Naruto pulled his jacket around him tighter, trying to ignore the loss of feeling in his hands. Though winter was coming to an end, and it was nowhere near as cold as the mountain training grounds, being out on the water was still pretty bad. It was a private boat as Konoha was now on lock down, and one of the few ways in without dozens of check points.

There just wasn't enough shinobi influence to negate the footage shown on JNN. While the public denied the existence of vampires, the underground was another story. The internet was lit with amateur cell phone videos of the fight at different angles from those who had survived in the area. There were hundreds of theories running around, thousands of speculations, and if the number of people on those sites were right, millions of believers around Japan (even if they didn't admit it publically).

Worse, Sasuke's and Naruto's faces were still well known and wanted. Their faces weren't shown every second as they had been a few months ago, but it still showed up once every couple days. While Naruto wore his orange hoodie to cover his blond hair, makeup to cover his scars, and a pair of contact lenses that made his eyes look black, Sasuke wore extensions that made his hair look longer, which was messily put into a pony tail that reached his shoulders, as he donned designer shades, tight, black leather pants, and a open blue jacket.

Sasuke was playing his role as the rich eccentric well. Probably because it wasn't far off from his personality. Even as Naruto stood at the bow of the yacht, watching nervously and awaiting to be intercepted or something, Sasuke was sitting in the lounge chair, fedora tilted forward to keep the sun out of his eyes as he slept. Sasuke had insisted that staying low key for him was more work than standing out. Obviously they had a disagreement about it, but in the end, the raven won due to his experience of going into hiding. Smug old bastard.

As if sensing his thoughts, Sasuke moved his hat just enough to peer at his lover with a questioning gaze. Naruto smiled guiltily then looked back out into the water. It was strange. Everyone he knew would have just graduated earlier in the week. He hadn't thought much of the place since Sasuke bullied his way into his life. Now… he was kind of a nostalgic for it and kind of missed it. He never thought he would ever miss his old life.

"What's on your mind? You look stupider than usual."

Naruto shot Sasuke a glare. "Speak for yourself, bastard. Am I the only one freaking out about getting caught?"

"They'll stop us or they won't. No point in worrying about it." Naruto looked at him like he was crazy.

"You do realize it's the 'will stop us' part I'm worried about, right?" the blond said slowly.

Sasuke looked at Naruto like he was an idiot and placed his hat back over his eyes. Rich, know-it-all, bastard.

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets, watching as the boat slowly pulled up to dock.

Sasuke discreetly watched his blond. Naruto's lips were tinged blue as well as the tips of his ears. The idiot was obviously freezing and too proud to go inside or ask for him to cuddle. That or too nervous.

The Uchiha didn't move from his spot until the boat pulled up next to the dock. Naruto sighed with relief and was already unloading the bags, throwing them onto solid ground.

"Hey you! Do you have a permit to dock here?"

Naruto's eyes widened in alarm. Somehow, he hadn't sensed the officer nearby. Slowly, he straightened himself up and put on an easy smile, facing the man.

"Hello, officer. Is there a problem?" he asked politely.

"No one is allowed to enter Konoha without a permit. Do you have one?" The officer had one hand on his pistol at his waist.

Naruto cursed in his head though his expression gave nothing away. His mind scrambled for an excuse that didn't end with him getting shot or arrested. The cop drew his weapon, pointing it at Naruto. "I suggest your boat around sir and leave."

The teen's hands slowly went up. "Y-yes sir."

"What's going on here?!" Sasuke roared, jumping down onto Naruto's level on the boat. Both looked at Sasuke with shock. The officer for the sudden appearance and Naruto for the fact he didn't know Sasuke could raise his voice.

The raven turned his head, ponytail swishing behind him as he looked over his shades. "And who the hell are you?"

"Sir, remain where you are." The gun turned onto Sasuke.

"Do you know who I am? I go away on tour for a few months, and I come back to be treated like this?!"

The officer shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, calm down."

Sasuke shot the man a condescending look. "Go fuck yourself." He picked up a bottle of sake, taking a long deliberate drink.

"Sir─"

"Speak again. I will make your life a living hell. I can't believe you don't know who I am. Let me tell you, you will be hearing from my attorney. I know you're superior too. I'm sure Kurenai would love to hear how you tried to stop the governor's son from returning home. You'll be pushed down to the bottom of the heap, and you'll regret not welcoming me with open arms."

The officer paled. The gun was put away in such haste, Naruto wondered if he was going to accidentally shoot himself. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't recognize you," he stumbled over himself, picking up their bags. "Why don't I take this to your car?"

Sasuke flipped his bangs. "You do that." Naruto watched with great surprise and amusement as the officer hurried off to the car Sasuke had waiting for them.

He waited until the officer was out of ear shot before asking, "You look like the governor's son?", suddenly understanding why Sasuke didn't put more effort into his disguise.

Sasuke snorted. "The governor doesn't even have a son, but not many people will claim something like that and have proof of actually being rich too," he gestured to the boat. "Humans are more afraid of saving their own skin and usually don't double check until it's too late." Sasuke put on his fedora. "Plus saying I was a public figure's son makes any feelings that he's seen me before make sense, and he won't think about it too much."

The blond was actually impressed. So maybe Sasuke knew something after all.

They made their way to the car side by side. The officer kept bowing and apologizing for his behavior. Naruto had a hard time not laughing. The guy had no idea. They slid into the back seat of the limo that was waiting for them. Shisui was at the wheel.

"Where's my brother?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

The eldest Uchiha glanced at the rearview mirror, meeting Sasuke's eyes as he pulled out. "I do not know."

"Hn. Glad to know my brother hasn't changed his habits." Sasuke said darkly, leaning back against the leather seat.

Shisui gave him a sympathetic look, but he did not offer any excuses for Itachi. Not this time.

"So where are we going?" Naruto asked, trying to break some of the tension.

"The shinobi want to speak to us." The younger raven answered.

"Sasuke-kun… I don't know about meeting with them. This is the Kage Summit. While Konoha has a truce with us, it is shaky at best. The other kage's will not be as kind as Tsunade-hime."

"I am aware."

"Ano, what's the Kage Summit?" Naruto asked, feeling a bit lost.

"Remember when I told you about the existence of hunters?" The blond nodded. "There are hunters all over the world. When trade opened up between the east and west, it became more and more common for the humans to occasionally share information when a particularly violent or well known vampire was being hunted. This was how humans became aware of different organizations in different countries that hunt vampires. Unfortunately, colonization and wars started making the humans fight one another, and crucial information was lost. This resulted in World War I."

"Wait wait wait." Naruto shook his head. "How the hell did that start World War I? I thought some dude got assassinated or something."

"He did, but it was an after effect from a different war. The shinobi knew that a vampire lord Shukaku was free. The Americans knew that some vampire was recruiting scientists from around the world, and the templars knew that there was going to be an assassination attempt. Because the information wasn't shared, one of the organizations jumped to the wrong conclusion and assassinated Archduke Ferdinand. There were other political factors each faction was responsible for as well. I know the templars were responsible for the Triple Alliance in hopes of getting the edge over the shamans. The shinobi pushed for the Anglo-Japanese alliance. At the time, the vampire council was located in Russia, and they were helping the Russian government in their expansion."

Naruto blinked slowly. History was never his strong point. "So what you're saying is that all those treaties that dragged everyone into the war was due to the hunters, and they actually started the whole war?"

"Yeah. The council had a good long laugh on that one," Sasuke chuckled.

"So what happened?"

"The vampires sat out the war for the most part. Humans were killing each other, corpses were fresh. The ghouls and vampires took advantage to feed. Shukaku was sealed before he regained his full power, and the body count was the highest it had ever been in a war. Tensions were high between all the countries and the hunters realized their mistake. They created the Kage Summit, so the five major leaders of the hunters would meet and share information and work together." Sasuke snorted. "Not that it does much. They've met five times since their creation and they could never agree on anything.

"Then why keep the summit?"

"Keeps the countries from attacking one another. It wouldn't be uncommon for a priest in Europe to try to kill someone who uses chakra because they believe it's magic. Even with a common enemy, humans often do not get along due to cultural differences. Thin paper or not, the alliance does serve as a barrier."

"Even if the humans do not get along, the kage's are still the most powerful in their respective countries. You must be careful," Shisui intervened.

"I trust, Baa-chan." Naruto said. "We'll be okay."

Sasuke stared at the blond. "I hope you're right, dobe."

The rest of the limo ride was silent. Sasuke was tense. Naruto had an idea why, but he didn't know what he could say. Itachi was … complicated. While his heart seemed to be in the right place, he seemed to go about it the wrong way. Itachi still kind of gave Naruto the creeps from time to time. And as often Naruto came up with a mental lecture to give the older Uchiha, he never had the chance to give it to him. Seriously, one thing these Uchiha's seemed to lack was communication. Then again the Japanese weren't known for telling people things that were bothering them.

The vehicle stopped in front of the Suna embassy. "Why here?"

"The Suna embassy is neutral ground," Shisui supplied. "And the leader of Suna just so happens to be the Kazekage as well."

Naruto felt unease wash through him as he looked at the building again. A few months ago, he would have never noticed. Now, he could see/feel five people on top of the five story, government building. He could see the invisible wires set up at the entrance to alert them of unwanted guests. He could get a feel of how strong some of the people who entered the building were, and they were quite powerful.

"Wish me luck," Naruto muttered, pulling his hood down.

"Scared of some humans, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto smiled a bit, leaning in close to give his lover a soft, chaste kiss. "Fuck you, teme."

"I look forward to it."

The door to the limo opened, and Naruto stepped out, hurrying towards the double doors. The two guards, both in matching grey suits, moved their hands to the pouch on their right side instead of the guns strapped to their left. The blond felt the scrutiny of their gaze as they assessed him.

Naruto took a step back, unsure of whether they would attack if he took a step closer. It was obvious they knew what he was, not fully human, but he wasn't sure why they hesitated. He took another step forward, and felt their chakra flare in warning. He wondered if they were going to attack after all, but he didn't stop his approach.

They let him pass. He didn't know why, but he wasn't going to question it now. Tsunade was supposed to be here. He trusted her to an extent. Feeling of betrayal still lingered as talking hadn't really been an option since the whole mess began. He wanted to know why he was kept in the dark. Why he was left stumbling around trying to figure out what he was and why he was different, and sadly, he wasn't going to get the answers here either.

Shizune greeted him in the entranceway. "Naruto-kun. Glad you could make it."

"Same." His smile was hesitant and unsure.

The woman happily led him through a pair of double doors. It was a large, circular room with a large semi circle table in the center. There were five chairs around the table and behind each chair there was a large, two-story banner with a kanji of one of the five elements. There was also a wrap around spectator's view on the second floor overlooking the table below. There were a few people on the second floor, all standing by one of the banners.

On the ground floor, only two people sat at the table. Tsunade was sitting in front of the banner of fire, her posture straight and her light brown eyes focused on a man who sat in front of the banner for wind. The man, who Naruto guessed was the Kazekage since Tsunade was the Hokage and was representing fire, had short brown hair, dark eyes, and looked average all around. He didn't look or feel special. Then again, he didn't sense anything from the Hokage either. Shizune showed him to his seat behind Tsunade. Sai was standing at attention to Tsunade's right, acting as her bodyguard.

Seeing his former classmate, hurt and anger rose inside him. Even Sai was one of them. His fists clenched the rough fabric of his loose fitting pants, though he kept his face neutral.

Time past in silence, no one in the room speaking or even moving as they waited for the others to arrive. Naruto grew nervous. He had an idea of what this meeting would entail, but he could not predict the depth of the material or what these hunters would focus on. He glanced up to the upstairs balcony.

On the second floor, hidden just behind the wind banner, was Gaara, looking down at the Kazekage. On anyone else, Gaara's expression would have been boredom if just slight annoyance. On Gaara, however, it meant he was pissed. His brow furrowed, looking at the Kazekage again. Why would Gaara have qualms with him?

The door to the room opened, pulling Naruto's attention to the new guest. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of him. The guy was huge! He had to have been at least 198 centimeters tall but had enough muscle mass to be between a body builder and a heavy weight boxer. His skin was dark, but his hair looked like it had been bleached blonde neatly braided into cornrows. He looked awkward dressed in a black suit, the clothes tight fitting on his burly body. He lacked a tie and the top two buttons were left undone. His black eyes landed on Naruto, narrowing slightly before taking his seat under the symbol for lighting.

His two subordinates, two young men, took residence on either side of him. Both were of average height and both had blond hair and dressed in black suits. However one was dark skinned with a look of indifference on his face on his face while the other was Caucasian and kind of reminded him of Sai.

The next to come in was a young woman,who couldn't have been older than her late twenties, laughing at something one of her guards said. She had long auburn hair that reached just past her waist and her light green eyes showed mirth as her subordinate, a short young man in his late teens with narrow glasses and an overly large sword strapped his back, blushed a crimson red, obviously flustered. The woman had a blue, off the shoulders dress that showed off her cleavage and a high slit up that went up to her thigh. Her other guard had a scowl that went well with his eye patch, clearly disapproving of their antics.

The woman took her seat in front of the element water and also took a long good look at Naruto. The teen grew uncomfortable under her gaze, shifting in his seat. He regretted the movement immediately. He knew every single person in the room had seen it. The woman only giggled, giving him a saucy wink, making Naruto turn red.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Nervously, Naruto looked back up to the second floor. Just hidden in the shadows where no one but Naruto and Gaara could see him, Sasuke was glaring at him then at the woman obviously flirting with him.

Trying to be subtle, Naruto looked at Sasuke then to the door, then repeated the action, hoping Sasuke understood. He wasn't supposed to be here. Kakashi had made it perfectly clear that while Naruto was a key figure in current events, he also wasn't a fully turned vampire. He was less of a threat. Sasuke's presence could make the kage's think that Konoha was trying a power play. Sasuke of course got the message. And as usual, he completely ignored him.

Reasons as to why Naruto loved him seemed very fleeting at that moment.

Reigning in the irritation, Naruto watched the last person enter. The guy was… floating. Like literally hovering several inches off the ground as he entered. His small frame was hunched over, his gray hair pulled back into a bun, and he wore green and yellow Chinese robes. His dark eyes pierced through Naruto. Besides a look of disapproval, Naruto couldn't figure out what the old man was thinking.

Unlike the others, he did not have bodyguards flanking his left and right sides. He calmly took his seat under earth.

A man who had been sitting off to the side, stood. His long grey hair, pulled back into a low ponytail, and his yukata, reminded Naruto of the samurai he used to watch on TV. He even had a sword attached to his hip. Despite his obvious age, he looked healthy and sturdy and had a hint of danger wafting off him. With silent footsteps, he stood in front of the circular table.

"Welcome. It has been many years since the last time we have all been together. Unfortunately, as per usual, we do not meet under good circumstances. The balance our ancestors have struggled to maintain is about to tip and our existence as well as the existence of the ones we hunt is about to be exposed." The man spoke in English with a calm voice, not raising it any louder than need be. He looked at each Kage.

"We have a new kage with us today as well as a special guest. As per our customs, I will give out introductions, please bare with me. I will make it as quick as possible," he gave a wry smile, coaxing a smile out of a few others. Naruto frowned, trying to translate the conversation in his head. English was his second best subject behind Japanese, but it had been a while since he had even looked at the language or even heard it.

"First, our new Mizukage, the Godaime Mei Terumi. She leads the European sector including Russia, and currently merged the templar and priest divisions under her rule."

The woman smiled at the others. "It is a pleasure," she said in a heavy French accent.

"Next is our Kazekage, Yondaime Rasa Subaku. He leads the African and Middle Eastern sector, in charge of the shamans and the league of assassins."

The Kazekage nodded his head, offering no other words.

"Our Raikage, Yondaime A. He leads the Americas. Most know them as Area 51. Details of what that entails are still marked with red tape." The old man smiled. "Unless you wish to divulge more information. A name perhaps?"

"'A' will do you just fine, and I don't need the CIA breathing down my damn neck again."

"Very well." The samurai turned to Tsunade. "Our Hokage, Godaime Tsunade Senju, leader of Japanese region and of the ninjas throughout the Asian region.

"Lastly, our honorable Tsuchikage," the man samurai bowed to the eldest in the group. "Lord Oonoki is in charge of the Asian region, leader of the sorcerers and monks."

"Now that the formalities are out of the way, let us get on with business," Oonoki turned to Naruto. "Tell us of the events boy, in your own words."

"I believe he should introduce himself first, not everyone is in close with Hokage as you are Tsuchikage," Mei gave a flirty smile towards Naruto.

"Does the kid even know English? Brat looks like he could barely rub two sticks together," A growled, leaning forward, inspecting Naruto with a new intensity.

"Can you speak another language? You American's barely teach your youth anything in your schools. Your education system is a joke compared to its Asian counterparts." The old man scoffed.

"You want to say that again, Tsuchikage?" A rose from his seat.

A loud sharp bang resounded throughout the room, startling the two men. In front of Tsunade was a pile of splintered wood where her table had once been. "I can assure both of you, as his principal, that Naruto can speak English. Not perfectly but it's passable. However, I thought we all agreed that Naruto was going to be a spectator and we would ask him questions if we needed to." This caught the teen in question's attention. Tsunade seemed almost angry.

"And leave it to just your word alone, Hokage?" The mizukage smiled. "The Hokage have been known to twist words in the past, just like any politician. However, this boy is not versed in the world of politics nor would he have rehearsed anything since he wasn't expected to speak. His word would most likely be more honest than yours."

And more chances for me to slip something I'm not supposed too, Naruto thought. Sasuke had been right. The leaders did not get along well, nor did they trust each other. This was a game of politics. Each country and region had their own history and despite the fate of the world hanging in the balance, it was hard to shove all that history and prejudice aside.

"It's okay, Baa-chan. I can do it." Naruto's words brought a sadness to the woman's eyes. It was brief, but she nodded to him to show her support. Any reason as to why Tsunade didn't want this for him, eluded his mind. Naruto told his tale.

He wasn't a politician. He wasn't even a hunter. He wasn't super smart, and he wouldn't pretend to know all the subtleties and nuances when it came to diplomacy. His English was less than perfect and he messed up many times as well as paused trying to get his thoughts in order, but in the end, he stuck to the cold hard facts. He wasn't sure if he should mention Itachi. While he wasn't sure what Itachi's history was with the shinobi or the mizukage (Itachi was raised in England afterall), he knew that Uchiha's had a bad reputation. He decided to gloss over the Uchiha reunion, and mentioned finding Madara instead. He ended with informing them that he had trained for the past several months

"So we have a list of things we must discuss," Tsunade put on her glasses as Shizune handed her a piece of paper. "The public is being reacquainted with vampires and hunters. There are more and more rabid newborns springing up, and rogue hunters making a spectacle of the killings all around the world. Skepticism won't last long at this rate. The only reason there is skepticism is because special effects can look so real these days. Technology has worked in our favor for that. The rebuilding of the vampire council─"

"Never thought I'd be hoping for those bloodsuckers to reestablish their government," the Raikage muttered.

Tsunade shot him a dirty look for interrupting. "Lastly, this Tobi person having Madara's body."

Everyone in the room grew tense and filled with a thick atmosphere. "I believe finding Madara should be our first priority," Oonoki said, his hands carfully folded in front of him.

"Agreed," Mei said quietly. "We cannot risk such devastation again."

"I also agree," Rasa spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. "However, I propose an alternative." The man's eyes locked on Naruto and his stomach sank. "The lords. They are a threat or an ally. This is our chance to eradicate the vampire scum from existence. We can use the lords to help us. Use them as a weapon."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

"Are you insane?!"

The Hokage and Raikage stared at each other in surprised. It was the first time they had ever agreed on anything. "The lords aren't weapons and they are unpredictable," Tsunade said first. "Kyuubi may have behaved himself recently, but he has his own agenda. There is no telling if he'll turn on us, or more accurately when. On top of that, Naruto is still a civilian. We can't ask him to─"

"That _thing_ hasn't been a boy much less a civilian since that creature was sealed inside him."

"Watch what you say Kazekage, you're also talking about my brother." A glared at the man beside him.

"If we don't use them, then they are even more of a threat than now. If not use them, then at least kill them, so we do not have to deal with them until their soul rebirths."

"You are out of line, Rasa," Tsunade spoke dangerously low.

"I suggest you shut your mouth before I do it for you." The Raikage had his hand on his gun. His dark eyes held nothing but contempt for the man beside him.

"In any case," the Mizukage interrupted, "we could not handle such a large scale attack. Not only will the world definitely know of our existence, but there will be many innocent deaths. Far more than what we usually allow."

"Indeed," the old man spoke. "We have sworn an oath to protect the children of this world. You young people who want nothing but war can't understand what you're asking for. Naïve children should not be in the position of Kage."

"Maybe you are just too old," Rasa countered. "Perhaps you should step down." The two men entered a battle of wills.

"Excuse me, Sasori has arrived. Should I send him in?" Shizune interrupted, turning red when everyone's angry gaze turned to her.

"Yeah," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples. She was hoping this would solve at least one of their problems.

Sasori walked in with a steady gait, healthier than the last time Sasuke had seen him. However, something was missing. Some sort of energy, like he was only half himself.

Dressed in a lab coat splattered with blood with jeans and a t-shirt underneath it, Sasori gave a half hearted bow. "Sorry for being late," he said, his German accent barely detectable. "The autopsy took longer than I thought."

"What's the status on rebuilding the council?"

"I have collected four to fill in some positions. However two of them are extremely young, but we're kind of lacking old and powerful on such short notice. The elder immortals can sense the war coming. They have already found their spots to watch. I can't find them as it currently stands."

"Weren't on the previous council? Surely, you could pull some strings," Oonoki frowned.

"Have you started enforcing yet?" Tsunade asked hopefully.

"We lack any power right now," Shisui entered the room. He stood tall, chin raised and gave off an aura that demanded respect. A far cry from the quiet humble man, Naruto had come to know. He looked like an Uchiha, and held himself like one, dressed in high quality business suit and moved gracefully.

"As far as everyone knows, the council is dead. The new recruits are working on it, but until they prove their strength, there will be no fear for crossing the rules."

"And you are?" Oonoki asked.

"Shisui, the second seat on the council, and at the moment, the leader of the enforcers."

"How old are you?" the old man continued.

"123," Shisui replied without hesitation.

"You are very young to be taking on the enforcer duties."

Shisui kept his level gaze, unfazed by the humans' scrutiny. "I assure you, Tsuchikage-sama, that my age belies by strength. I may lack experience, but my talents and intelligence has covered for it."

"We will require a list of the new council members," Mei said, smiling pleasantly at him.

"It will be in your possession as soon as the process is finalized for the other three members," Shisui replied.

Tsunade rubbed her temples harder, closing her eyes this time. "Thank you, Shisui-san, Sasori-san. That will be all."

Sasori wasted no time high tailing it out of there while Shisui left more casually and elegantly. Naruto wished he could go with them.

"Before we continue with the discussion, I would like to ask Naruto one thing."

The boy's head snapped up to meet the Tsuchikage's knowing gaze. "You seem to have left out that you have mated with someone. Who is it?"

There was a large lump in his throat not letting him speak. How had he known? He was careful not to mention anything that would insinuate that he was in a relationship with the vampire that found him. He began to sweat under the gaze.

"I can see it. You're lover's ki flowing through yours. Kyuubi may cover the potency of a full vampire's ki, but you can't fool my eyes. I haven't gotten this old sitting on my thumbs."

Naruto bit his lip. There was no way out, and if he lied, he was sure they would know. "Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

At the mention of the Uchiha's name, the room went into an uproar, both the ground floor and the balcony.

The old samurai unsheathed his sword in warning, silencing everyone once again.

"Damn, an Uchiha?! He might as well be one of those soulless bastards after all," the Raikage spat.

The mizukage's flirty gaze turned hard as well. "All the good ones are always taken or gay," she murmured. "An Uchiha does make his loyalty questionable."

The Kazekage actually chuckled. "Maybe we should use him to lure the Uchiha to us. We've been chasing him long enough. I know a few people who would love to just torture that son of a─"

"Shut up," Naruto growled, his eyes flashing red, before Naruto could repress it. "Finish that sentence, and I will not hesitate to beat the shit out of you. Diplomatic immunity be damned."

All the kages stared at him with vary levels of interest.

"If anyone threatens Sasuke in front of me again, I won't hesitate to kill you." Usually bright blue eyes, promised death as he stared the Kazekage down.

"A vampire, even a fledgling, is very protective over its mate," Oonoki said wisely. "I think it's beneficial for everyone here to remember that."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"One last question however." Naruto was dreading it already. "How much do you really know about Sasuke Uchiha?"

Naruto hesitated. "I know everything I need to know about him."

His response seemed to answer something, but for some reason, the teen didn't think it was the question itself.

"Naruto, why don't you wait outside for the remainder," Tsunade said quietly.

Thankful for the break, Naruto all but ran out of the room because the question still clung onto him like unwanted grime. How much did he really know about Sasuke?


	4. Emotional Turmoil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, you can probably all hate me. But in my defense, this one doesn't get many reviews and I update based on populalarity. Given how long it's taken to update this, I probably lost all the readers for this so...yup. On another note, I'm writing this chapter as if the Gaara story is finished. XP.
> 
> Italics - speaking in English

The meeting seemed to drag on and on. After Naruto left the summit, he was brought to a room adjacent to the main hall. It was rather small with just a plushy couch and a coffee table, but at least it was comfortable.

Naruto had sat in the room for five minutes before he decided he was bored, something he hated more than anything. Being bored meant he had a lot of time to think. That was one thing he didn't want to do. After two hours of looking through outdated magazines, his mind couldn't help but think over the part of the meeting he was present for. So many strong humans in one room, the way they all changed in front of him when they found out he was with Sasuke, what the old man said before he left. How well did he know Sasuke?

His eyes drifted closed of their own accord.

When he opened them, he was in a familiar yet unfamiliar place. There were fusuma walls, the floor, tatami mats. A sliding door was pulled back revealing a garden and the night sky with a large full moon. Just outside the door, sitting on the wooden walkway with a bottle of sake and a cup beside him, a tall man, with hair so dark it seemed surreal, stared out at the moon.

Naruto instinctively took a step forward, and the man turned, dark hair turning to fiery red, and a wicked smile aimed towards him. "Welcome to my humble abode, gaki."

Slowly, Naruto looked around again, too preoccupied with the surroundings to respond to the insult. "Didn't this look more like a sewer?"

Kurama snorted, picking up the sake bottle and coming back inside. "Take a seat."

Still a bit dumb struck, Naruto complied, sitting cross legged at a low table. Kurama looked different. He looked calmer. The teen never paid much attention to what Kurama wore before, but he was dressed in a black yukata, a white obi and juban, with a dark blue haori draped over his shoulders. It was casual yet still gave a feeling of importance from him by the way he moved. Like a yakuza boss or rogue samurai or something.

Kurama just seemed amused by the young man's expression, pouring a cup of sake for the teen before seating himself. "You removed the seal. The stronger you get, the more of my original power I am able to collect and retain. I didn't like the decorating, so I changed it a bit." His eyes narrowed when Naruto didn't drink from the cup. "Drink, gaki."

Naruto only narrowed his eyes back, but he took the small cup and drank. It was good. Very rich with flavor, the liquid slightly cloudy, and went down smoothly. He had never tasted anything like it. The mood however was ruined with Kurama's scowl.

Kurama placed the bottle in front of him. "Pour more."

At the tone, Naruto considered ignoring him. Instead, he poured the sake into the cup but refused to drink more. It didn't seem to bother the red head though as he just took the cup and drank from it.

"Why are you still thinking about what that kuso oyaji said?" he said, placing the cup down and pouring himself the last of the sake.

The boy remained silent, unsure what to say, his blue eyes drifting down to the table. He didn't know either. He could feel Kurama's red eyes on him, staring into the top of his bowed head.

"When you were a smaller gaki, why did you call me a kaibutsu?"

Naruto's eyes shot up to meet with intense, cold eyes. The arrogance Kurama usually exuberated was nowhere to be seen, just the danger that this vampire lord could inflict if he wished to. "Because. . . you killed people," he responded in a quiet voice.

"You didn't know that back then," the lord cut in sharply without changing the tone of his voice. "Why back then?"

"I…I don't…know."

The man huffed, setting down his cup. "It was because others called me that. You knew nothing about me, what I've done. Just the way I talked to you and what people told you I am. What do you think of me now?"

Naruto recalled the past six months, and his gaze softened. "You helped me, and you saved my life and Sasuke's."

Kurama stood with an animal like grace, drawing a katana that had been hidden under his haori and pressed the tip against the blonde's throat in an instant, staring at the teen with the cold indifference of a killer. "The truth is, gaki, is that you know nothing about me or my past. I killed tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands with my own hands, not including those who acted on my behalf. You don't know my reasons for doing so. They could be a whim, for vengeance, or for the greater good. Neither do you know my motivations were for helping you before, but those eyes say that you trust me now even though I could kill your spirit and take your body for my own. Why?"

Even on the other end of this powerful being's sword, Naruto did not fear him. Not like he used to. Instead, he just grinned. "Because I just do."

Kurama's killer intent fell and was replaced with a look of surprise. Then he slowly smiled and let out a low chuckle, resheathing his weapon. "You're a baka, gaki. I could take you over right now, and you'd never know what hit you."

"Probably," Naruto agreed. "But you won't. Not now anyway."

The lord smirked before his expression sobered. "Sasuke's killed people, Naruto. You know this. Tobi even told you that Sasuke killed the intruders who entered his house before your little dare. There are over a hundred and twenty years of Sasuke's life as a vampire that you don't know of, and nineteen before that as his life as a human. The world back then is different than it is now, just as my Japan is different than your own. Sasuke may not be the same man as he was one hundred and twenty years ago or even ten years ago. He may have changed. He may not have. But he has killed, and he has made enemies. What you must decide is whether you are ready to take on the consequences his actions will bring onto you, and whether you will trust him to tell you what you need to know if it is ever required or believe in him without an explanation."

"I understand." Naruto's heart felt lighter and his mind felt at ease. Tension left his shoulders, and he let them droop in relief.

Kurama walked over to him, placing a hand on top his head. "Seems there are some things that can get through that thick skull after all," he said almost gently.

Naruto tilted his head to look up, but all he saw was the white ceiling of the waiting room. He swore underneath Kurama's expressions, both gentle and cold, he felt an underlying sadness. The image of the vampire lord sitting under the moon, looking up at the celestial body, stuck in his mind. Did Kurama miss the moon? What would it be like to be stuck inside another, never seeing the outside world through your own eyes?

A stupid question really. Naruto did know, being stuck in Orochimaru's lab for so long. He longed for the outside, especially the sky. His hand outstretched towards the ceiling, imagining the heat of the sun on his skin and the endless, blue sky, wishing to fall into it. Perhaps Kurama's gruff demeanor was out of constant loneliness with no one to talk to for hundreds of years.

"One day," Naruto whispered. "I'll come for the loneliness inside you too."

He could hear Kurama snort at his words, but Naruto only smiled at his behavior. Oh, how much had changed. Kurama's presence was a calming one now days, almost as much as Sasuke's. Even if the old fox did piss him off often.

"What are you smiling about, dobe?"

"None of your business, bastard," Naruto replied sleepily. He tilted his head, so he could stare into black eyes. "You shouldn't be here. Surrounded by the enemy and all."

"Like I care what some humans think." Naruto felt the couch dip beside him. "Besides they all know that I'm your mate."

"Sorry," he sighed, taking in Sasuke's presence. "I tried to keep you out of it."

"Hn. You can barely call those things human. They would have found out eventually."

"Did Shisui tell you that he was going to be part of the council?"

Sasuke's silence confirmed that he hadn't been told and was pissed about it.

"They are trying you know," Naruto offered.

"They're treating me like a child, and they're barely older than me," the vampire growled.

Feeling the conversation would get too volatile if he further tried to defend the two older Uchiha, Naruto decided to switch the subject. "What's our next move? "

Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch. Naruto turned his head to look at him. His lover's eyebrows were slightly drawn together under his dark bangs, the only sign he was seriously going over the question. His long dark locks actually looked good on the vampire. Naruto wanted to reach out and touch them, but he knew if he did, Sasuke would probably try to remove his hand. When Sasuke looked back at him, their eyes locked, and everything just seemed to fade away.

Sasuke parted his lips about to speak when the door flung open, making Naruto jump, and Sasuke look annoyed.

"Naru-chan!" The woman who had entered was the Mizukage. "We're so sorry for making you wait."

Naruto looked baffled by the nickname while Sasuke just looked downright murderous.

" _No, problem_ ," Naruto responded in English with a polite smile. Sasuke turned his glare to him. " _Is the meeting over_?"

She smiled at him, then looked over the glowering vampire stopping at his eyes. " _This must be your mate_."

" _Can we help you_?" Sasuke asked coldly in perfect English with a British accent.

"You'd be cuter without the attitude," Mei's smiled took on a bitter edge. " _And one other thing_."

" _Hn, jealous_?"

" _And what could I ever be jealous about_?"

Sasuke smirked. " _I'll never get wrinkles, and you already have three._ "

A tick was clearly visible in her right eye. Thankfully, Tsunade decided to show up at that point, practically pushing Mei aside. "Brat, I ought to give you a piece of my mind, disappearing for months without a single phone call or letter. You know I had to hold you back a year and find a new health sciences and Japanese literature teacher because of you?"

"What the hell Baa-chan! Why am I being blamed for Iruka and Kakashi? They're almost twice my age!" Tsuande looked at him expectantly, waiting for it. "Wait! I'm held back! I have to repeat the entire year!"

"What do you expect brat?! You missed four, almost five, months of school!" she yelled back.

"I don't know, I thought I was expelled, or I just wouldn't go back. Either way, I wouldn't be going back to school," Naruto shrugged. "It's not like I'd be getting into university." He smiled. "Besides, I can hang out with Kiba all the time now."

Naruto was pulled out of his seat by his shirt. "Brat! Do you think I'd let you get away with not graduating! How the hell can I face Minato and Kushina if I don't even make sure you graduate as your principal?!"

The teen looked at his mate who was still calmly sitting on the couch. "Teme! Do something!"

" _Who am I to get in between a mother scolding her son?_ " he said, picking up a cup of tea poured by Shizune, who's appearance had been unnoticed until now.

"She's not my mom!"

"He isn't my son!"

They both screamed at the same time. Sasuke just snorted his response and kept to his tea.

"And just so you know, Gaara got into Tokyo U and Suna University, and Kiba got into Konoha U. The only one who didn't graduate from your class is you."

"Eh! How did dog breath get into university! He had lower grades than me!" It felt wrong somehow, and startling.

"My, my, you two certainly have a good relationship," the Mizukage interrupted. "But that isn't what we came here for, is it Hokage-sama."

Tsunade scowled, releasing the boy's shirt. For a brief second, guilt flashed across her face.

"What is it Baa-chan?"

The older woman sighed, rubbing her eyes. "We decided that Konoha is still too dangerous for you to be here. The Mizukage has graciously opened her territory to allow you to stay in England for a while."

Silence followed, and Tsunade dared to look at Naruto.

The boy was just standing silently. The only clue that he had heard her was the blank face he wore when trying to conceal his emotions. Finally he said, "You want me to run?"

"It's not running. Think of it as special training."

"I have been special training for three months. I'm not as weak as I was then."

"It's for your own protection."

"I don't need fucking protection," he said coldly, chakra slowly leaking out with his concealed anger. "You've been 'protecting' me since my dad died. But in the end, it just leaves me in the dark and makes me rely on you and keeps me from getting stronger." He glanced at Sasuke. "He does it too from time to time." He returned his gaze back at the woman who helped raise him. "And I'm sick of it. I don't want your protection anymore. If I can't protect myself, if I keep relying on you to do it, then Kurama might as well take over 'cause I'm just a sitting duck when you guys aren't around. "

"Naruto, you don't understand," Tsunade tried again.

"No, I don't, but it's too late to make me run. I'm with Sasuke now. His sins, our pasts and history, it's so deeply rooted into this world, shinobi and immortals, that it's amazing we've both been ignorant about so much. I'm not going to let everything come to me anymore, and I won't keep being caught off guard. I'm going to fight head on. And I can't do that while I'm running away."

Tsunade's body tensed. "You don't get it! You will die if you─"

Mei placed a hand on her shoulder, silencing the older woman. "Hokage-sama, sometimes, there are things a man must do, no? It's why Jiraiya-sama let him be, ne?"

The hokage's hands turned to fists, shaking in frustration.

"How about we test them?" the Mizukage suggested.

"A test?"

Mei smiled at the horror that crossed Naruto's face at the word test. "A fight between a jounin level shinobi and you. If you manage to win, you are allowed to do what you want. However, if you lose, you will be coming to England with me." She looked at Sasuke who was glaring at her. "And we'll test your strength too of course."

"Of course," Sasuke said darkly.

"Well, how about it? You can't complain about additional training if you can't beat a jounin level shinobi right?"

"Fine." Naruto reluctantly agreed.

"Great," the French woman looked gleeful. "I'll set something up." She left the room a second later.

Naruto turned to Tsunade to say something but stopped. His principal looked like all the fight had drained out of her. She looked tired and more like her true age. "Promise me," she whispered. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"Yeah, I will."

She nodded and left as well.

"Well then, Naruto-kun, Uchiha-san, let me show you to your room," Shizune smiled at them, though somehow it seemed forced.

She led them from the room and down the hall to the elevator.

"So, how's Ero-senin doing?" Naruto asked, trying to fill in the awkward silence. They were in the lobby so every hunter in the room had their eyes on Sasuke.

"He has been on a mission since you and Uchiha-san left to save the butler."

Naruto's curiosity was peeked. "Is that why he didn't come with us? What's the mission?"

Shizune didn't answer, holding onto her paperwork tightly.

"Let me take over, Shizune-san," Sai came up to them. He was wearing what he usually did at school, belly shirt included, however he normally didn't have a sword strapped to his back. It reminded him that Sai was one of them. Naruto's face hardened.

Unfortunately, Shizune appeared to be in a hurry to get out of there as she left without further prompting.

Surprisingly, his former enemy said nothing the entire trip up the elevator and to the room. "I hope the accommodations are to your liking," he said with his usual fake smile. "We will update you when more information about your match becomes available."

"Yeah, yeah." All Naruto wanted to do was sulk. This entire day, the people and the politics, made him just want to curl up with Sasuke and sleep.

"Naruto-kun?"

Tiredly, Naruto turned around to see what Sai wanted. "Hm?"

Sai's mask fell, traces of regret in his eyes. "If we had known that Tobi was such a threat, we would have offered you assistance. "

"That's the thing Sai, you should have offered anyway. The only reason you guys didn't was because it was a "vampire" problem."

The shinobi averted his eyes and was unable to deny the accusation.

Annoyed, Naruto went into the room and closed the door.

"Even if they did help, I wouldn't have accepted." Sasuke was already lounging on the queen size canopy bed. "I didn't even want you to help."

Naruto quickly looked around the room. The decorating was upscale and obviously meant for an ambassador or someone else important. There was a flat screen TV, kitchenette, dining area, sitting area and a large Jacuzzi tub in the sleeping area, which was separated from the rest of the suite. "Not the point," he muttered, crawling onto the bed.

"You need to accept that immortals and hunters will not get along, dobe." Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist. "Now what's really bothering you?"

Naruto sighed heavily. Unable to help himself, he played with Sasuke's extension. Again, he thought it kind of suited him. "Is it weird that I kind of assumed the world stopped when I was away and would be the same when I came back?"

"Not really. Almost everyone goes through it at least once."

"Still," Naruto sat up, rubbing his hair furiously, "Kiba, getting into college? His grades sucked as much as mine. How could he get into college? I mean Gaara's always been smart, so I'm not surprised he got into the top schools, but Kiba? Without me?" His voice cracked. This was so stupid. Why was he getting worked up about this? He should be happy for his friends, and he knew it wasn't his fault he didn't graduate, but the news felt like it was just broadcasting how much of his old life he had lost, things he thought he hated, school, homework, mindlessly wasting time, and he found that he really missed them.

Sasuke rolled over, his back to Naruto. "If we aren't going to have sex, I'm going to sleep."

"Teme," he whined.

Grunting, Sasuke sat up as well. "What do you want me to say? That life won't go on without you? If it makes you feel better, the dog passed his exams because it's a requirement."

"A requirement?"

Sasuke was obviously considering dropping the subject, but decided that his mate probably won't drop it without becoming more upset and therefore irritating. "Konoha is the home base for shinobi. The ones under 18 go to Konoha High, and, as you probably realized, there were quite a few in your class. You, Gaara, Kiba, and a few others weren't. They have certain conditions they must follow in order to continue being shinobi. One of them is to have certain grades on their exams and to continue to Konoha University where they must attend the minimum of two years with a grade of B or better. If dog shit suddenly started buckling down and studying to get into that school…"

"Then he must have joined them," Naruto whispered, feeling more depressed.

Sasuke pinned him to the mattress. "You're getting depressed over stupid things. Just forget about it, humans are fickle anyway."

Blue eyes narrowed. "I'm still part human you know."

Sasuke smirked. Naruto wasn't himself unless he was pissed off or happy to the point of annoying. "I know," he leaned forward, nipping at the fang marks on his lover neck, causing a shiver to rack through the blonde. "If it makes you feel better, your bad grades were partly because your class's curriculum is three years ahead of the normal classes."

"The fu-uah!" Naruto moaned when Sasuke bit down, his fangs just breaking the skin. "Dammit, Sasuke, it's my turn to top."

The Uchiha ignored him, grinding against his lap, pleased with himself when Naruto lifted his hips in response. The slow steady pulse under his lips was so intoxicating. He forgot how much so after so much time apart. He licked and sucked at the sensitive spot as his fingers gripped the hem of the blonde's jeans.

Naruto lifted his hips to help him. It's been too long. He wanted to feel Sasuke's skin rub against his. He wanted to feel Sasuke inside him. The urge was almost overwhelming to him, borderline desperate.

"You two wasted no time getting busy."

The sound of the voice had Naruto jumping out of his skin. Thankfully, Sasuke's body weight kept him from moving too far, and the fledging swore he heard Sasuke growl.

Gaara looked unfazed even as dark, murderous eyes stared him down. "Sakura's here to give you a physical, Uzumaki. You know how she is."

"Y-yeah," Naruto cleared his throat. "Be there in a second." The red head nodded and closed the bedroom door behind him.

"I'm going to kill him," Sasuke murmured. "How is it ever since we mated, we've been unable to actually have sex. It's been four goddamned months."

Sensing his lover's mood was volatile, Naruto gently rolled him over, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "Blue balls make the heart grow stronger, or some other bullshit like that."

Sasuke just stared at him. "Idiot."

Naruto chuckled, rolling off the bed and readjusting his pants. "And you love me for it."

Sasuke smiled, just a little. "Must have been all the drugs from the 60s."

"Pff, like that uptight ass would actually touch something like that."

"I don't know, I'm mated to you aren't I?"

Sasuke's comment made Naruto scowl which only made the raven's smirk widen. "You're too easy to rile up, dumbass."

"And you're just easy, bastard."

"If you two lovebirds are done getting dressed, will you get your asses out here? I don't have all day," Sakura's voice came through loud and clear, and she sounded pissed.

"Well, let's get this over with," Naruto muttered, opening the door and preparing for the pink haired girl's wrath. Sasuke followed, watching the ass in front of him.

* * *

Gaara opened the door to the room, wishing he could be somewhere else. He had hoped that he would never see him again. Maybe in passing at the most, but not actually talk face to face. What did you say to the man who abused him since his birth? To the man who locked him away underground and denied his existence. To the man who tried to kill him when he finally escaped his prison.

The room was dimmed, with just the desk lamp providing light, and his father, pouring over papers, not even looking up at the intrusion. It would be so easy to just kill him. He could do it, so easily. Shukaku was urging him to.

Baki stood beside the Kazekage, giving Gaara a disapproving glance masking his concern. A few years ago, he would have been annoyed with the sentiment. Maybe even tried to kill him over it, but he was able to reign in the impulse and almost ignore it.

He stood quietly as he waited for the Kazekage to address him. A minute passed. Than five. Eventually, half an hour.

Gaara's patience was running thin, and he struggled to contain his anger that was boiling close to the surface. Was he still not worthy of addressing? After everything was he still not even considered human?

"Years ago, you would have attacked me for making you wait," Rasa spoke, still not looking up from his work. "You're patience has improved."

"Perhaps I was so out of control because I was locked away from the sun for ten years," Gaara said darkly. "Or maybe because of the assassination attempts afterwards."

"Why are you here, Gaara? Come to kill me?"

"No. I came to warn you." Gaara flexed his chakra to prove his point. "You will leave Uzumaki alone. He will not be a part of some super army, and you will not hunt him down as you did with me."

"Or you'll do what Gaara?" Rasa placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward. "Anything you do to get revenge on me would only make you lose Konoha's protection."

"I will take the position of Kazekage from you. How I will do that, I will leave to your imagination. If you don't want an early retirement, then I suggest you rid your mind of any ideas involving Uzumaki."

"I've never seen you so protective of someone, Gaara. And I thought the Hyuuga boy was your lover."

Gaara didn't deny or confirm. His father would just twist his words around. It did not stop his father from saying, "I shouldn't be surprised you ended up a fag. You already aren't human."

The teen wanted to snap that his father was the one who did this to him, but refrained. There was no point in arguing, so he let it go, forcing his shoulders to relax. He had found peace within himself. He wouldn't let a man he didn't even know ruin it. Not when he was finally happy.

"I don't need your approval, Father. I never did. As long as we are on the same page, we won't have to see each other again."

"We'll see."

Gaara would take it. His father wasn't one who would openly admit to agreeing. He gave a half hearted bow, and left.

"Gaara has changed, hasn't he Baki."

"Indeed, Rasa-sama. Indeed."

* * *

" _ **I never would have guessed Madara is alive."**_

" _ **Disaster always follows that name."**_

" _ **It is none of our concern. We are no longer of their world."**_

" _ **Only three hosts still live."**_

" _ **The beasts within us are restless. They want blood."**_

" _ **We do not allow the beasts to control us."**_

" _ **Without physical forms, it cannot be helped."**_

" _ **Suitable hosts are lacking."**_

" _ **Susano'o's return is inevitable."**_

" _ **It will be fun watching them all burn."**_

" _ **Evil should not triumph."**_

" _ **Let Susano'o kill them all."**_

Kurama listened with half an ear. All their voices were overlapping one another. The others had problems hearing one another, but he could hear it all. It had been a long time since he heard their voices, and he was reminded how much the others annoyed him. He only listened for information that could possibly be useful.

Looking up at the moon, he gripped his katana tighter. The beast inside him huh.

" _ **Kurama."**_

" _ **Kurama."**_

" _ **Kurama."**_

Why had he missed them? Or maybe it was because they were all cranky these days that he's only heard their bad side. They weren't lucky like he was. Naruto could hear him. "I am here."

" _ **Your host."**_

" _ **His body."**_

" _ **Your power is increasing. You hear all."**_

Damn it. They found out. Seriously, he was trying to keep it a secret. He never responded when he could. Their conversations tended to leak into Naruto's dreams and subconscious. Naruto didn't need to hear them, didn't need to know them. "I won't be taking him over. Not anytime soon at least. We exchanged sake."

" _ **What does that mean?"**_

" _ **Liar."**_

" _ **Traitor."**_

" _ **Unbelievable."**_

" _ **I do not understand. They are the enemy."**_

" _ **Do you intend to fight Susano'o?"**_

Kurama chuckled at their stupidity. "I fight for nobody but me, and I do what I want. I'll see what the kid does, and I'll help him or I won't. Simple as that. Don't place your expectations on me."

" _ **Asshole."**_

" _ **Arrogant."**_

" _ **Hasn't changed."**_

" _ **Handful."**_

Kurama just ignored them. The bickering would continue. It always did. He drew his sword and pointed it at the moon. The world had changed. So had the sky and moon that he had once seen every night. It would never be the same again, whether he lent a hand or not.

" _ **Energy is gathering."**_

" _ **Europe is in panic."**_

" _ **Lycans."**_

Kurama scowled. Of all the places he would have to go. He didn't want to leave his territory unguarded, but he really didn't have a choice. "Fuck me."

* * *

"They never did tell us anything about the fight," Naruto muttered aloud, stepping into the embassy's elevator. "Kind of not fair if you think about it."

"You won't get a heads up in the real world," Sasuke remarked, leaning against the wall. "So stop whining."

"Stop whining," Naruto mocked back, feeling oddly put out. Sasuke had been a damn tease all morning since they were interrupted last night. Like it was his fault that Sakura decided to stay over and give them a lecture about safety and calling someone every once in a while so everyone knew he was safe. Seriously, Sasuke was so petty sometimes.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Real mature."

"I don't have to be mature. I'm only 18," he countered.

Sasuke chose to ignore him.

Shizune and Sai were waiting for them at the lobby. Naruto and Sasuke moved to get out, but instead they also entered the elevator. Sai removed the panel to reveal another set of buttons and selected two.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, Uchiha-san," Shizune greeted.

"Hey, Shizune," Naruto greeted, trying to look over Sai's shoulder to get a look at the hidden set of buttons.

He didn't get a look, but the ride was short, so he was spared from any awkward conversation. Sai exited the elevator. "Uchiha-san, would you follow me, please?"

Sasuke left the elevator, not even giving Naruto a glance. Sometimes, Sasuke's act of indifference kind of hurt. If Naruto didn't know he was a softy at times, he'd seriously wonder if the vampire was playing with him, but it did make Naruto wonder why Sasuke switched between softy, to jerk, to indifferent without warning like a moody teenager.

"And dobe, if you lose, I'll kick your ass."

Naruto's head shot up at the comment, but the doors were already closed. A smile pulled at his lips. Figures the bastard couldn't say something sweet. Not that he fell in love with his charming personality.

"He's not very nice to you," worry coated Shizune's tone.

"Sasuke isn't nice to anyone. Not directly anyway."

"I see."

Neither spoke again. Shizune led him off the elevator and down a bland beige corridor. It seemed to go on forever with not even pictures look at.

After what felt like an hour, they arrived in what looked like an old fashioned dojo, complete with wood flooring, fusuma and shoji walls, and wooden beams overhead. The training area however was larger than a typical dojo and the ceiling was higher.

"Is what you're wearing going to be what you are going to fight in?" Shizune asked, looking over Naruto's black muscle shirt and blue basketball shorts.

Naruto took off his shoes before entering the room. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Sympathy crossed Shizune's features that were quickly covered up by a false smile. "Your opponent should be here any moment. Please make your preparations now."

A little unsettled, Naruto did some quick stretching. Why would his choice of clothes incite sympathy?

Once his muscles were nice and lose, he considered doing a few laps around the room, when his opponent entered.

"S-sorry for being l-l-la-late."

Naruto whirled around, almost hurting himself to get a look at his opponent.

Hinata's eyes widened at the sight of him and quickly bowed, murmuring apologies as she took off her shoes as well.

Naruto gaped. If this was who he was fighting, then who the hell was Sasuke fighting?

* * *

Sasuke snorted, looking at his opponent. Well, if he said he wasn't surprised, he would be lying. He was more disadvantaged than he had predicted. Overprotective mother figures sure were a pain in the ass.

The artificial sun was making him uncomfortable and sand was already getting into places he rather didn't. "I was wondering why you stayed so long last night."

Gaara smiled slightly in response, the sand swirling at his feet. "I was told after I left."

"I don't really care. I had wanted to test out my new techniques. I didn't think I'd get the chance to so soon."

"Careful what you wish for Uchiha. You might not survive this."

A dark smile etched its way onto Sasuke's lips. "We'll see about that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, after writing so much Star Trek recently, (I've finished like 2 stories and almost a 3rd since the last update to this one) I was having a hard time not mixing Spock's personality with Sasuke's. Hopefully, I succeeded.
> 
> If there is a grammar mistake, let me know. I need a Beta ... again.
> 
> Comment if you want me to update. 1) It reminds me that this story needs attention (I'm forgetful. The 4/5 month unintentional hiatus could tell you that) 2) It gives me confidence to continue. 
> 
> Please Please Comment.


	5. Game. Set. Match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 20th hour of my day without having really slept the previous night. I'm exhausted. Edited the best of my abilities. Need Beta. Let me know if you guys catch a mistake.
> 
> To those who read Cardinal Rule: You know in all the reviews, no one mentioned a thing about Spock eating the meat.

Hinata kept mumbling apologies. Naruto didn't even know what for anymore seeing as she had been saying them since her arrival. Just like at school, she kept her eyes down, barely glancing at him for more than a couple seconds and fidgeting with her hands constantly as she sat in a seiza position in front of him.

Tsunade had to have been involved in choosing his opponent. If she wanted to wish him well, she didn't have to make it so obvious. Seriously, she should just be honest with herself. He was really afraid he was going to hurt Hinata. He spent a lot of middle school and high school protecting her from being picked on, namely her older cousin, but was she really a kunoichi? Out of everyone, he was sure she wasn't one of them. Was a new recruit too? And why were they waiting and not fighting?

"I apologize for the delay." While Naruto looked over casually with a sense of bored curiosity, Hinata shot to her feet and bowed. Two people had entered. One was a man with long brown hair that reached his mid back and had lilac eyes, a serious expression and was wearing a grey kimono; the other was Neji, following behind in a gi.

The older man was obviously related to Neji and Hinata somehow. Neji waited for the older man to sit first before sitting in the seiza position beside him, a stark contrast to the older man who was sitting cross legged. Hinata had stayed bowing until the man had seated himself.

"I hope you do not mind, Uzumaki . . . san. This is the perfect opportunity for my nephew to see our jutsu used against someone outside the family. I will be the moderator for this exam. "

"Um, isn't it kind of unfair to monitor your daughter's exam?" Naruto asked. The cold look the elder Hyuuga gave him made him reconsider if asking was a good idea.

"I am harder on my children than I am of strangers. Being the moderator is in your favor rather than Hinata's," he stated. He glanced over Naruto's clothes as if silently saying, Naruto was going to need it. Again, Naruto wonder why his clothes mattered so much. Even Neji looked like he was pitying him.

Both Naruto and Hinata moved to the center of the room, standing opposite from one another.

"This is a one on one match. Killing your opponent is prohibited as well any technique that will cause more than 80 percent damage to the fighting arena. Other than that, all weapons and techniques are allowed. Bow to your opponent."

Hinata bowed readily as Naruto had trouble taking his eyes off Hinata, still unsure. His bow was barely fifteen degrees.

"Ready."

In front of him, Hinata's demeanor changed. Her feet spread, finding her center and grounding herself, and her expression grew serious and determined. She looked at him head on without a trace of a blush or self doubt, he was accustomed of seeing on her.

Hesitantly, Naruto prepared himself too, drawing a kunai from his pouch. In the corner of his eye, he saw Neji shake his head discretely. At first Naruto thought it was in derision, but Neji didn't turn his gaze away. It was a warning.

"Begin."

Naruto blinked. That was all it took for Hinata to suddenly be less than a third of a meter away from him. Startled by the sudden closeness, he tried to back away, but he couldn't in time. Her hands glowed from the chakra focused in them. He expected for her to strike his vitals, but she didn't. She hit two points in his left arm and one in his stomach with her palms.

Realizing he needed to regain his balance, he tried to jump away. He focused the chakra in his feet to gain extra power, but he was having difficulties. He could only make half the distance. Thankfully, Hinata didn't follow through. She slowly breathed out, regaining her center.

She was fast, Naruto thought, and obviously skilled at close range fighting. He made the seal for his kage bushin no jutsu, but he could not channel chakra properly through his left arm.

Feeling a bit panicked, he was not ready when Hinata started her next assault. He was blocking her attacks with his hands, redirecting her strikes, but she was still able to get a few hits in. He was starting to feel weird, like something was off.

_**Baka! She's sealing off your chakra points. Get away from her.** _

Easier said than done, he dropped to the floor in attempt to sweep her feet out from under her, but she just flipped over him to the other side. He was forced to roll away landing on his knees. The moment he stood, she struck him with the heel of her palm, knocking him off balance. 8 strikes, 16 strikes. 32 strikes. 64 strikes. Each strike felt like the wind was knocked out of him. He couldn't breathe. His body felt paralyzed.

Naruto fell, hitting the ground, unmoving, but still conscious. _Move, dammit_.

The elder Hyuuga stood. "This battle is over." He hid his hands in his sleeves and looked down at the blond. "You wavered before the battle even started. Worse yet, you failed to get control of your emotions afterwards. Hesitation will get you killed. On the battlefield, it doesn't matter if your opponent used to be your friend, lover, or family member. You fight to kill. If Hinata had not hesitated to give you a chance to recuperate after her initial attack, the battle would have been hers that much sooner."

The elder turned his back to the teen. "This was a waste of my time. Neji, Hinata, come along."

The man only took a few steps when a kunai flew past his head. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at the teen with a raised eyebrow. Naruto had managed to roll onto his stomach, his hand still outstretched from throwing the weapon and breathing hard. "I'm not out yet, oyaji. I want to continue."

The elder Hyuuga stared at him for a few seconds. "You are quite vulgar for a boy your age," he said displeased. However, he returned to his seat. "At least put up a fight this time."

Naruto managed to make it to his feet with great difficulty, staring down Hinata. "Count on it."

* * *

"Begin!"

Sasuke immediately jumped back, dodging three large spikes made of sand. It didn't help as he could only land on more sand. The sand wrapped started to wrap itself around his ankles. He jumped high into the air, hoping to buy himself some time to find a safe place to land, but Gaara was ahead of him, already predicting his moves with clumps of sands already flying at him.

He maneuvered his body so he could dodge. Unfortunately, a particularly large clump clipped his side. He winced in pain, and his eyes locked with Gaara's. The red head hadn't taken a single step from his starting line, and his arms were crossed as if he had no plans to move. Was he that smug? Confident that he wouldn't have to move to beat him or . . .

Sasuke landed, but didn't have a chance to rest. He was running the moment his feet hit the ground. There were no rocks for him to land on in the room, most likely removed to put the battle in Gaara's favor. There was one place however that wasn't covered in sand. The environment may have been made to resemble Suna's deserts, but it was still a room.

Sasuke focused chakra into his feet and jumped onto the smooth walls, sticking onto them like a fly. He knew Gaara could only make his attacks so big before they were slowed down by the size, but he couldn't let himself get cornered either where a large slow attack could still trap him. So he kept running, following the perimeter of the room. If he was fast enough, he could do it.

He dodged the projectiles as he ran, making his way behind Gaara before he could turn around. He pushed off the wall with all his strength aiming a kick for the back of Gaara's head. Once he was half a meter within Gaara however, a wall of sand suddenly erected before his attack could connect. Cursing, he jumped off the newly erected wall to his launch point just before a sand clone emerged from the sand wall to grab a hold of him.

The Uchiha watched the sand clone take color and texture making an exact duplicate of its master.

This was more troublesome than Sasuke had thought it was going to be. Gaara still hadn't taken a single step from his start point while Sasuke had already run around the majority of the large room. Even with his inhuman stamina, he would eventually tire out even if it took days to do it. Without a time limit, it was a legitimate strategy to try to do so. On top of that, Gaara had sand everywhere that bent to his will. It was an ultimate defense.

There was one thing though, if Gaara did so much of his battles without physically exerting himself, then there laid his probable weakness. If Sasuke could get past his defenses, then he could destroy him with taijutsu.

* * *

_**You're at a disadvantage, gaki. With such a tight shirt, she can see your body clearly even if you somehow deactivate her Byakugan.** _

_I figured out that much already. I'm not an idiot._

_**Hn, say that to your test scores.** _

Naruto ground his teeth, doing his best not to retort. Figuring out Hinata's fighting style made Naruto realize how much the dojo setting was working against him. He couldn't run anywhere. There was no way to put a lot of distance between them, and he was scrapping the bottom of the barrel for ideas on how to defeat his former classmate without chakra. He was good at taijutsu and with his sword, but he could only do so must without chakra.

All his chakra points were blocked, and his body was still sluggish. He had his kodaichi still which he drew before the second round started. Until he came up with a solution, he would have to survive with his taijutsu.

"Begin."

Naruto made the first move, coming in close and hoping to throw Hinata off with the sudden aggression.

She did make a small "eep", but otherwise kept up with his attack, dodging his blade. She got a few attacks in which Naruto let happen this time. It was risky, but he needed to understand her attack better.

_When she makes contact, it's either to attack my chakra points and stop the flow or forcing her own chakra into my body, causing internal damage. Externally, she doesn't cause much damage past a normal attack._

_**You're forgetting her eyes, kit. The Byakugan allows her to not only see the flow of your chakra, but increase eye sight and range around her.** _

_I know that much. But out of all her abilities, it's blocking the chakra points that is the most annoying._

_**If you were human, blocking all your chakra points would kill you. You shouldn't take it lightly, brat.** _

Now that his experiment was over, he readjusted his grip on his weapon and dug his heels in. Hinata attacked with a palm heel thrust. Naruto grabbed her right wrist with his left hand, dragging her forward to his right side, sword waiting for her. She spun on her right foot, ducking underneath the blade, and ready to attack him with the back of her left elbow.

Predicting her move, Naruto flipped over her, using her body as a spring board and forced distance between them as she fell forward onto her knees.

He'd have only a few seconds to do this. Before, when he grabbed her wrist, he was already searching for it, Kurama's power. He was already focusing on it when his feet touched the ground, forcing it to expand rapidly like and explosion.

_**DON'T USE MY POWER WITHOUT ASKING, GAKI!** _

The blond ignored the angry outburst, feeling the energy coursing through his veins. Emotions ran rampant when he did, ones that always did when Kurama's power consumed him. Mostly anger and pain.

It was difficult separating his emotions from Kurama's, but it did what he wanted it too. Kurama's power was potent enough to force open his chakra pressure points again, and his own chakra began to flow.

Hinata's face was of one of alarm, glancing at her father asking what she should do.

Right, they were all still worried Kurama would take control. He pulled back on the lord's power, letting it lay dormant once again.

"Alright, Hinata-chan, now I'm ready."

* * *

Gaara was a really annoying bastard. He wasn't holding back at all, and Sasuke was about 60% sure Gaara was actually trying to kill him.

Sasuke dodged another set of sand spikes, cursing his luck. Why did it have to be fucking sand?

Worse yet, he hadn't been able to through the sand barrier around Gaara. Anytime he got close, the sand seemed to move on its own, forming a barricade even if Gaara didn't know where he was. It was really, really grating on his nerves.

"Getting tired, Uchiha? You're slowing down."

Sasuke glared, kneeling on his spot on the wall. "Mind telling me how you have this much control?"

"Control?" the red head said, collecting the sand particles floating in the air into the palm of his hand, creating a rotating sphere. "Not so much control than the sand being a part of me. If I mix my blood with the sand, even sand not from my home country will respond." The sphere lost its form, and Gaara let it fall between his fingers. "I have been training everyday here for the past 4 years. I have shed enough blood here that the sand reacts on its own."

"I see," Sasuke, grasped his right wrist with his left hand, focusing his chakra into right hand. The chakra started to crackle violently and sparking like lightning. "Sand is still sand." He released his wrist. The chakra emanating from his hand scorched the concrete and quickly ate away at it.

Sasuke was high up on the wall, a good ten meters. He used it to his advantage and let gravity take its course as he ran back down, gaining speed for his charge. The sand was already creating a dome around Gaara, but Sasuke didn't slow. He punched the wall. His attack went through and continued on the other side, the remnants of the electrical attack grazing Gaara's temple and forcing him back.

The sand wall crumbled, revealing the red head holding his head to slow the bleeding.

Drawing his katana, Sasuke prepared for the final strike when Gaara literally caught the blade with his hand. Gaara's pupils had changed to gold and brown strands mixed with his read. What really made Sasuke think _"oh, shit"_ was the subtle ancient power he felt that reminded him a lot of Naruto's vampire lord.

Gaara gave him a sadistic grin. _**"You're going to regret making me bleed, fucker.**_ **"**

* * *

Naruto wasted no time. He summoned three shadow clones to attack her all at once while he stayed back to watch. Hinata dispatched them easily with her martial arts, sending them flying away from her with some sort of rotation technique. So she wasn't bad against multiple opponents either.

He summoned more shadow clones to distract her while he focused on collecting nature energy. He still hadn't perfected it and being so far underground, there wasn't much energy to use, but he could gather enough to enhance his taijutsu.

Unfortunately, his opponent defeated the distraction faster than he hoped, and he was still too slow collecting it. Well damn, fine, he'd just use his brain.

Kurama snorted at that.

The two shadow clones he had let backed off, standing on either side of him. It was a bit underhanded, but he was sure Hinata would forgive him . . . hopefully.

He and the shadow clone to his left charged her. His shadow clone jumped, aiming a kick at her head, while he went in low, aiming for her legs. She blocked the high kick with her forearm, and the low one with her leg. It immobilized her movements enough for the remaining shadow clone to slice open her shirt, revealing her generous breasts.

The girl staggered back, face completely red, instinctively covering her chest with her one arm. She seemed too embarrassed to even scream or protest.

Naruto took advantage of it, attacking her while she tried to recover, her movements award as she tried to fight with only one arm. He was overwhelming her with the attacks, even when she decided the embarrassment could wait and fought with both arms again.

He broke her defenses with his kodaichi, slicing into her right forearm, leaving her wide open. He was going to follow up the attack with a rotated kick to her abdomen when Kurama's power pulsed. During the pulse of power, he couldn't move. It was barely noticeable, and came across as only a split second hesitation. Only a quarter of a second really, but it was enough time for Hinata to dodge.

What was that?

He tried to attack again with his sword and felt the pulse again, once again inhibiting his movements for only a moment, long enough for Hinata to move into his personal space with a palm heel strike to his chin, snapping his head back, followed by more attacks. Any time he tried to dodge he felt the pulse of power interrupt him.

In no time at all, he was flat on his back barely conscious while Hinata stood over him as the victor.

* * *

Okay, so Gaara really was trying to kill him.

Sasuke ignored his bleeding stomach and useless left arm. It would take about two minutes to heal. His healing was slowing down. He had already healed many of his wounds the past five minutes alone, but many of those attacks were aimed to behead him.

" _ **Huhuhuhu, Is that the best you got, Uchiha brat. How's an asswipe like you survive all these years."**_ Gaara mocked. As the fight dragged on, his features continued to change. His hair was almost completely sandy brown, and he had gained another inch in his height. His attacks were also becoming more vicious. So Gaara really was a host after all.

"Which lord are you exactly?" Sasuke asked, trying to buy more time. The vampire lord had destroyed most of the walls. Sasuke had given up using them to run on. It made it too predictable of where he was going to run, and Gaara had obviously not attacked them before to give him a small fighting chance.

" _ **I wonder who? Why don't you get down on your hands and knees and offer to suck my dick. I might consider telling you of my greatness then."**_ Gaara laughed manically then. _**"Or maybe I'll kill you, so I can make that fox's brat submit to me. Yes, I do like that plan better. Huhuhuhu. And then the fox will see how superior I am to him, being able to kill an Uchiha instead of being fucked by on─"**_ he was stopped mid rant with a kick to the face.

"Let me make one thing clear. Naruto's ass is mine, and no one will make him submit," Sasuke said darkly, jumping off Gaara's face and landing perfectly 5 meters away.

" **My face! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"** Gaara outstretched his hand, and the sand responded, creating a giant tidal wave that would be impossible to evade.

Sasuke cursed under his breath. Well he may have pushed too far.

However, instead of increasing in height and cresting, the tidal wave dwindled. _**"Fucking, brat. Don't interfere. Let me kill him!"**_ Gaara was clutching his head, no longer focusing on Sasuke. _**"Don't order me around. I'm almost a god! You're just a human brat."**_

Perhaps this was his chance. Sasuke made the seals for his fireball jutsu. He took a deep breath and released the attack. Intense heat filled the room and Sasuke watched it go towards his opponent. Gaara shouldn't be able to dodge it.

Gaara looked at the attack with irritation, dropping his hands to his sides. _**"I got it already. Shut the fuck up.**_ "

Sasuke watched for movement. It looked like Gaara had given up. As soon as he thought that, Gaara was gone. A second later, a large sand spike came through the fireball, melting and turning into glass from the intense heat, and piercing his chest, right through his heart.

* * *

"Man, I hurt," was Naruto's first words when he finally regained his ability to move. A medic nin had come in to help heal the internal damage since Kurama had decided to be an ass for some reason and did not assist in healing his injuries.

He was already dreading how he was going to tell Sasuke he lost. He didn't picture that going well. He ran his fingers through his blond locks, sighing heavily.

What was really beginning to bug him was the way the eldest Hyuuga kept staring at him. Naruto would have understood if it was one of disgust or hate. The teen did kind of expose his daughter's chest to everyone in the room, but the shinobi didn't look angry, more like he was analyzing him, far more than he did during the match. "What?"

The eldest Hyuuga stared at him some more then stood. "Hinata, we'll have to talk about your misplaced modesty in the middle of a match."

The poor girl blushed but didn't object, bowing her head until her father left the room. Neji however glared at Naruto. "Try something like that again, Uzumaki, and I'll kill you." He too left, following his uncle.

Well he couldn't blame Neji for the hostility. In fact, the action brought a small smile to his face despite his loss.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata approached him, wearing her favorite white hoodie. Her fidgeting was back as well as the blush she always seemed to have.

Before she could say another word, Naruto beat her too it. "I'm sorry for pulling a dirty trick like that, Hinata-chan." He smiled guiltily. "It was a good match. You're really strong, and I was rude to hesitate at first, so thanks for putting up with that."

Hinata's blush deepened, and she fidgeted some more, pulling at the hem of her hoodie. "I should be thanking you, Naruto-kun."

"Me? For what?"

Hinata kept her gaze down and sat beside him. Seeing her, Naruto could see the upper class upbringing she had, and she reminded him a lot of those proper Japanese women he had seen on TV dramas. All she was really missing was the layered kimono. "You're right. I am very weak. I don't have much confidence, and I mess up a lot too. When we were little, it was worse.

"Neji-nii had always been talented at martial arts. He didn't learn our ninjutsu, but unconsciously, he drew on his chakra, using them in his attacks without even knowing. I would often hear people say that it was a waste to let him not develop it. Meanwhile, the heir to the Gentle Fist style, me, was pathetically weak and no talent whatsoever. In order to make me look better, Neji-nii was pulled down. He was caged. They even held him back a year so he wouldn't look smarter than me too. It made him hateful, and very angry."

Hinata's eyes teared as she recalled her past with her cousin. "Before that, we were really close, and Neji-nii was more than happy to help me with my martial arts, but when my clan started holding him back, and he started to become self destructive because of it, I felt even more guilt. My heart was always wavering with guilt, thinking it shouldn't be me. It should be Neji-nii. No matter how hard I try, it wouldn't matter because I stole his wings, and even so, I was still so worthless and undeserving of it. I started to think it didn't matter what happened to me as long as Neji-nii could get what he really deserved, the place among the shinobi that he was obviously meant to have." She looked up and met his eyes with a beautiful smile. "But then you saved me.

"You probably don't remember, but seven years ago, some things happened. I had given up and was going to run away from home when I saw you. I had always watched you from afar. You were angry at the world, and all anyone had ever shown you was hostility. The entire town hated you, and they always treated you badly. The shinobi for the demon lord inside you, and the citizens for believing you killed your father. Even so, you always tried your best.

"One night, I watched you jump into a fight against some adults to keep a girl you didn't know from being beaten. Two of them were rogue shinobi. You had no chance of winning, but no matter how many times they beat you down, you kept standing back up. Even when the girl ran away and left you, you kept fighting. I kept willing you to stop and stay down. Everything you were doing was pointless. I couldn't understand why you would go so far in a fight you couldn't win for people who hated you, but you kept getting back up.

"I didn't know what to do. I was ashamed of myself. I was hiding, watching someone weaker than me fight a losing battle. And then I realized that you always stood up for people you thought needed protecting. You protected me from Neji so many times and tried to say something reassuring whenever I was about to cry, and I never thanked you for it. Nor did anyone else thank you for the things you did for them, yet you still showed kindness to the ones who needed it. You knew who you were and what you wanted to be.

"Before I knew it, I joined the fight too. It turned out that the shinobi were very low ranks, so it wasn't very difficult, but I did something on my own for the first time. I made a difference, and if I had more confidence in myself, if I had trusted my abilities and joined sooner, you wouldn't have been beaten half to death."

"Wait, you were the one who saved me?" Naruto remembered that fight clearly. He had been in the hospital for almost two months and the group of men had tried to claim he attacked them first and were acting in self defense. Given his "homicidal record", the cops were ready to charge him with assault. That was until the men suddenly dropped said charges.

Hinata nodded reluctantly. "After that, I trained hard. I didn't want to be that coward anymore. I didn't want to see you stand alone like that anymore, but I could never . . . I could never approach you to offer my assistance, and I could never tell you what I was. I'm sorry for lying to you and misleading you."

Naruto couldn't really bring himself to be mad at Hinata like he did with the others. One, because she looked extremely guilty, and two, he understood. Somehow, with her timid personality, it made sense she had problems confronting him, and he always was kind of protective of her. Maybe because she was the first to try to be his friend besides Kiba despite an asshole for a cousin and an overbearing and controlling father telling her not to.

"Don't sweat it Hinata. I kind of flashed your boobs to your relatives so let's call it even okay?"

She smiled timidly and nodded. "I'm glad you're okay, Naruto-kun."

"Okay might be a stretch. I'm sure Kisame mentally scarred me for the rest of my life," he responded reluctantly.

"Kisame?"

"Long story." Waving off the mednin, Naruto asked, "Think you can show me out?"

Hinata was more than happy to. She seemed relieved that Naruto wasn't angry, and Naruto was happy for the company. Since coming to the embassy, all he had felt was anger towards his classmates for the secrets. Maybe he was just tired of being angry, or perhaps the fight burnt off his sexual frustration. Either way, Hinata's face when he told her about the three months of hellish training was entertaining. At least somebody showed concern about it.

They got off the elevator at the lobby. It was the place he agreed to meet Sasuke at. Sasuke was not waiting for him however, Gaara was. His looked extremely haggard, with dark bags under his eyes, though his hair was wet indicating he just took a shower, he looked like he just rolled out of bed. "Uzumaki," he greeted.

"Gaara! Long time no see!" He latched himself onto the red head, hugging him tightly.

Gaara actually smiled a bit. "I'm glad to see you survived. It is unfortunate that you lost."

"Yeah well, it couldn't be helped," his smile turned a bit forced. "So who did Sasuke fight against?"

"I had the pleasure of being his opponent," his voice trailed off looking a bit uncomfortable.

Naruto however misunderstood the reason. "Lost, huh. Well this makes it harder to tell him. Where is the moody bastard anyway?"

"He had to see Tsunade for a bit." Gaara turned on his heel. "Let's get some food."

Gaara's behavior was a bit strange, but Naruto followed him anyway. It had been too long since he last seen his friend, and there were still a lot of questions Naruto had to ask.

They were walking through the cafeteria when a green blur whizzed towards them followed by a loud booming voice. "Gaara-kun! My partner in youth, I challenge you to another sparring match!"

Naruto recognized the voice of course. He had been forced to listen to it every day since middle school. Somehow finding out Rock Lee was a shinobi was not that surprising. Out of everyone, he was the kid who was obsessed with martial arts and getting stronger. He was the one that made sense actually. What was surprising was the drop kick aimed at Gaara in the middle of the hallway.

Gaara jumped out of the way, hands still in his pockets, and proceeded to dodge the next two kicks and three punches with a bored looking expression until Rock Lee stopped. "Is there something wrong, Gaara-kun? You are most dispirited today and much slower than usual." Lee being Lee, he ignored personal boundaries and got extremely close to Gaara, inspecting his face. "You are also quite pale today, my friend. Are you sick?"

"Can we do this another day, Lee?" Gaara said. He really did look tired, now that Naruto took a good look at him, like he was ready to pass out any second.

"Sure thing. May the spirit of youth overcome whatever is keeping you down today." As quickly as he came, he left just as fast.

"Does . . . that happen often? You can barely stand him in class, and he rarely gets that close to you."

Gaara considered Naruto's question, and the blonde wondered if perhaps he should insist the red head get some rest, but they were already in the cafeteria and Gaara was already bee lining his way to the desserts. Naruto grabbed a sandwich and a coffee, not being that hungry, but he was a bit thirsty for blood. That hadn't happen in a while.

They both took a seat in the back near a window and took the moment to settle in. "Lee beat me in a sparring match when we were 12. My one weakness back then was taijutsu. Since I always fought either in my home country or the training grounds here, I hadn't developed it very well. I didn't need too. When he fought, he was so fast he broke through my defenses and beat the shit out of me. I was a bit more unstable then and almost killed him in response. I actually tried too. About three years ago, I approached him and asked him to train me. Idiot wasn't even mad I almost ended his early career as a shinobi. So he trains me three times a week and tries to attack me randomly. At school, however, he respects my wishes to be left alone . . . surprisingly."

"I see . . . so what type of superpower do you have?"

Gaara gave a subtle grin as he said, "Superpower?"

"Yeah," Naruto made a gesture while he had the coffee in his hands, spilling some on the table. "Hinata has x-ray vision, Sasuke manipulates lighting and fire, Sakura has healing abilities, obaa-chan has super strength, so what do you have?"

Gaara looked amused. "I control sand."

"That's really cool. I wonder what my super power's going to be," Naruto trailed off in thought.

Gaara watched him with a gentle expression, forgetting about his crepe in front of him. "You know they aren't superpowers right?"

"Eh, details." More seriously, he added, "For real, are you okay?"

"I've . . . been better," the boy reluctantly admitted. "I am will most likely pass out for a day after this."

"Gaara . . ." Naruto looked down at his sub, playing with the lettuce and unsure of what to say or if he should continue, like he was too afraid to ask and he would step over some invisible line if he did.

"You can ask, Uzumaki. It's alright."

Naruto's blue eyes shot up then back down, remorse clouding his features. "You're one of them, right? A host to one of the vampire lords like me?"

Gaara had been waiting for this question for a long time. And he had tried to imagine what his response would be. He went over what he would say over and over again. Should he explain why he kept it a secret? Explain why he stayed away for so long? Should he be nonchalant about it like it didn't matter to him?

In the end, he said simply, "Yes."

"That was why you were in the labs, right? I remember telling you stories. I remember taking you home with me and showing you off to my dad. I remember the horror you went through." Naruto tried to hold back his tears and had to pretend to take an interest in his sandwich. "You shouldn't have had to carry that all on your own. I should have been there with you to share the pain instead of letting you walk around with those memories by yourself. I understand why you kept it a secret. I would have done it too, but I feel so damn guilty that I got out and you didn't."

"There was nothing you could have done, Uzumaki," Gaara said quietly, unable to meet his eyes. "You were only six years old, and your father was murdered right in front of you. It was a lot of trauma. I'm not surprised you wanted to forget."

"How did you even escape? They took you with them didn't they?"

"They did," Gaara agreed, finally taking a bite of his dessert. "Some police officers found Orochimaru and raided his place. During the confusion, I made it out by myself. I was ten I think. Somehow I managed to find my siblings. Things happened and I left there too. Eventually, I ended up in Konoha's care and lived at the embassy because Namikaze-san had let me into his home when I was younger. I did some stuff for them and earned my keep. Two years later, we met up again. When I realized you didn't remember anything, I tried to stay away, but you clung on to me the moment the opening ceremony ended a year later."

"Must have unconsciously remembered you," Naruto smiled.

"Must have," Gaara agreed.

"If I hadn't come to you, would you have eventually come for me?"

"No. . . No I wouldn't have. I thought it would have been better if you never remembered."

They ate in silence for a while. Gaara's head started to bob, his eyes barely staying open, so Naruto tried to keep the conversation going since his friend seemed determined to stay there instead of leaving to get some rest. "What's your lord's name?"

"The elders told me his name was Shukaku," he murmured but a little more aware.

"He didn't tell you?" he asked surprised.

Gaara shook his head. "I can't hear him all that well. And we don't have a very good relationship. He's violent and a bit crazy."

Naruto shrugged. "Sounds like Kurama to me."

"They are very different. He will use any opportunity to try to escape. Because of the experiments, the seal has weakened enough that he can take over but not gain permanent control. Just drawing on his power a little bit, will give him enough of a crack to take over my body, and he loves killing more than anything. When Kurama became free the last time, he sought revenge against the shinobi who imprisoned him. It was strictly personal and somewhat justified even if he killed hundreds. Shukaku chose to spend his freedom starting WWI just because he wanted to watch the world burn."

Naruto winced. Perhaps he did luck out a bit. "How do you deal with it?"

Gaara snorted as if saying he didn't. "We reached a . . . fragile balance. He at least lets me sleep now."

Unsure what to say, Naruto finished his food. "I should go find where the hell Sasuke disappeared to. He's been in a bad mood the past couple weeks."

"Yeah. . ." Naruto went to dump his tray, missing the look of regret on his friends face.

* * *

Tsunade groaned, wishing for nothing more than a large jug of sake to help ease her nerves. She never thought she would have to operate on a vampire. The molten glass, after piercing his heart, had cooled in his body, making it very difficult to remove it without destroying the rest of the muscle. She also had difficulties finding fresh blood to give him while doing the surgery, so the regeneration would be quick and happen while she tore at the tissue to remove the glass. Naruto was going to have a panic attack if and when he found out that Sasuke had almost died. To be able to fight with killing intent and not actually kill your opponent was difficult. She thought Gaara could handle it.

The surgery took about three hours. It would have been longer if she had to worry about minimizing damage to other tissue other than his heart and bothered to stitch him back up. She may have had to help a vampire, but it didn't mean she was happy about it. The wound would be closed and barely noticeable in 30 minutes. Faster, if someone gave him more blood.

Then of course she had to watch the reruns of the two fights the moment she finished.

She was pleasantly surprised how much Naruto had grown. His taijutsu was pretty good, and he even stood back and analyzed his opponent calmly and formulated a plan. He even found a way to make up for his earlier mistake.

What made her frown was when he went for the finish. What happened there?

"I see you have noticed it as well?"

"Do you see what happened, Hiashi?" Tsunade asked, rewinding the footage.

"I did," the head Hyuuga said, watching the footage as well. "Kyuubi's power interfered. Flooded his chakra pathways and temporarily overloaded them, paralyzing him. Uzumaki-san realized it as well and tried to block the power surges on his own but was unsuccessful. I thought perhaps, Kyuubi's power was getting out of hand, but the surges only happened during crucial moments."

"The lord wanted him to lose," Tsunade muttered, looking at the blonde's confused face as Hinata turned the tables on him. "But why?"

"I do not know. I was however surprised he did not bring it up and accepted defeat gracefully."

"I'm surprised you didn't beat him for what he did to Hinata-chan."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "Why would I? He's recently mated. He has eyes for no one other than the Uchiha. It was a well planned strategy, using my daughter's weaknesses against her."

"Harsh," she chuckled, changing the video to Sasuke and Gaara's fight. "Those two caused a lot of damage."

"The Uchiha faired well given the conditions. Is he really only 120?"

"Yeah, even has his sharingan activated already. He even survived quite some time against Shukaku."

"I thought that child had learned to keep him under control," displeasure laced the Hyuuga's tone.

"Gaara apologized about that. Apparently, Shukaku has a grudge against Kyuubi and wanted to take it out on Sasuke since he's with Naruto. Gaara managed to convince him not to kill the Uchiha somehow, so he reigned him in somewhat, though it was a close call. Sasuke was lucky. As was Gaara. Shukaku drew on too much power again. His body is trashed."

"If Kyuubi wants to go to Europe, it is most likely not as safe as we have been lead to believe."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "No, it probably isn't, but neither is Konoha."

"Has news of where the other Uchiha is come in yet?"

Tsunade frowned and glanced at Hiashi from the corner of her eye. "How did you find out about Itachi?"

Hiashi refused to answer. Deciding she was too tired to put up a fight, she said, "No. He's disappeared again. He's good at that."

"Uchiha's are trouble. Always has been."

"True, but hopefully, we can trust this one."

Hiashi looked back at the screen as medic nins went to Sasuke's side. "Hopefully."

* * *

After searching the entire embassy and their room three times, Naruto gave up. Wherever Sasuke was, he obviously didn't want to be found. He was slightly worried, of course. Even walking around as only a fledgling, he was subjugated to many hateful stares, specifically from the foreign hunters. At one point he entered the same hallway as 'A'. The tall, dark, and burly man was barreling his way through the narrow corridor, yelling about something. Naruto caught the words, "Bee" and "rap concert" before he turned around and got out of his way before the CIA agent saw him.

It wasn't that Naruto was afraid of him. It was more of the fact that the guy kind of pissed him off and looked like he would be good in a fight. Knowing himself well, Naruto wouldn't be able to resist saying something that might start a fight.

Either way, Naruto returned to the room, planning to finally get the first good night sleep in three months. Sasuke would come back eventually.

He entered the suite, to see the curtains had been drawn closed and wrappers for several blood supplements left on the coffee table with an empty water bottle. Entering the bedroom, the vampire was curled up under the thick blankets, fast asleep.

It was the first time Naruto had ever seen his lover's sleeping face. Sasuke always seemed to fall asleep after him and wake just before him.

Naruto slid into bed, careful to not disturb him and brushed the dark bangs away from the sleeping face. Sasuke's skin held a grey tint to it, and he wasn't breathing. He must have had one hell of a fight.

"You're back," Sasuke murmured, the words barely a whisper past his lips.

"I've been looking for you. I thought we were meeting in the lobby," Naruto whispered back gently, still stroking his hair.

"Right," Sasuke seemed to drift off again. It was worrying to see both Sasuke and Gaara, two of the strongest people he knew, so exhausted.

"Just so you know, I lost my fight."

Sasuke cracked open an eye. "As did I."

That was surprising. Why hadn't Gaara said anything? Deciding to get the details from his tight lipped friend in a bit, Naruto, wrapped his arms around Sasuke. "Go back to sleep. We'll talk when you wake up."

Sasuke was out cold before he even finished the sentence.

Naruto made himself comfortable, content on watching Sasuke sleep for a while. _You know you owe me an explanation._

 _**I don't owe you anything** _ **.**

Naruto didn't buy it. He cut straight through the banter and went for the real question. _What's in Europe?_

Naruto could see Kurama in his mind's eye, looking annoyed but grim. Quietly, he watched the lord play with the tassel on the handle of his katana then answered without looking at him. _**The past.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, tell me if you see a mistake. Sorry for the back story. But I did give you a long chapter in like a week. Hopefully, it will hold you guys over.
> 
> Please leave comments. 
> 
> Need to know how I did..


	6. This is Maddness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will there be a time when I'm not tired when I update? No? Okay.
> 
> I only speak 3 languages. Japanese, English, and bad English. I do not know German and I do not know British English. If I sound like a yank an trying to hard, forgive me.

Naruto never did get those answers from Gaara. The red head had been indisposed of for the next two days, and Naruto had no idea where he was hold up. The only person who really knew anything about Gaara's location was Tsunade, and she was tighter lipped than when it came to telling her real age. The only other person he could even think of asking was Neji. Not only was the teen still pissed about what Naruto did to Hinata, Naruto had the distinct impression that Neji didn't know either, adding to the Hyuuga's foul mood.

Getting answers out of Sasuke was met with even worse results. After the raven awoke from his 15 hour sleep, he was also in a rotten mood. There weren't even any insults. Sasuke remained silent no matter how much Naruto annoyed him. The cold shoulder eventually put Naruto into a bad mood as well. They were lovers right? How hard was it to let him in?

So that's where they were as they exited the plane on English soil two days and one plane ride later. Sasuke of course had them upgraded from commercial to business. If the Uchiha had his way, they would have gone to first class, but thankfully, Tsunade convinced him it would make them stand out more than they wanted too.

The entire experience was new. Having been stuck in Konoha for pretty much his whole life, England was drastically different. True, he had been to Suna; however, he hadn't really gotten to see the outside. He had been either hiding or running for his life. Getting off the plane in London to see so many people walking about and the old architecture he'd only seen in movies or textbooks, was overwhelming. Konoha was so quiet and small in comparison. Even the fact that they had an escort didn't dampen his mood. He even forgot he was angry.

"Cool! A double-decker bus! They're actually real! Hey, do you think we can ride it! Do you think they'll let us see Big Ben?!" Naruto could hardly sit still as his eyes jumped from one place to another like a child. "Sasuke!" He looked back to try to get Sasuke's attention. Sasuke was staring at him, with an almost serene expression. "Sasuke?"

"I'm sure they'll let us do a little bit of sightseeing, dobe," Sasuke said quietly. The escort seemed like he wanted to argue, but didn't have the courage too.

"So how long has it been since you been back?"

Sasuke looked down the many streets as they walked around the city towards the townhouse they would be staying in. "I left during WWII when the bombings started. I returned briefly due to some business thirty years ago, but I didn't stay long."

"Why not?"

The vampire went quiet after that.

Sasuke was acting strange. He was much too quiet and not the brooding type quiet either. He seemed almost depressed. Naruto kept glancing back at him, torn between wanting to ask what was up (and most likely be ignored) and continuing his exploration of a new place.

"Hey, think you can show me around the older parts, see if anything's the same from when you were a kid."

Again, their escort tried to interject, but the two of them pretty much ignored him.

The vampire stopped walking, forcing Naruto to stop as well. "Follow me."

Sasuke lead them to the older parts of London. He admitted a lot of the stuff had gone over renovations and weren't much like he remembered, but he pointed out pubs he used to go to that were still around, the roads he used to take on his way to the bank, places his father used to take him during his work, and the book store his brother practically lived in.

While he talked, Naruto grew more worried. Sasuke seemed like he was stuck between wanting to stay in nostalgic memories and not wanting to be anywhere near them. He talked quietly, but also talked quite a lot. Their escort gave up trying to make them go straight to the townhouse and just followed without a word.

At some point Naruto took the lead and was heading down random roads and asking questions about buildings they passed.

Suddenly, as Naruto was about to turn the corner, he was grabbed by the arm and yanked back. "Don't go down that road."

The blond stared at his lover with confusion. "Why not?"

Sasuke's eyes darted down the relatively normal looking cobble stone road. "Just don't. We'll go around."

Naruto took a step back when a laugh filled the air. "What is it Sasuke, afraid to return to the scene of your crimes."

Both boys looked up. Sitting on top of a two story house, was a teenager with bright blue eyes and white hair. He was sitting on the ledge, one leg dangling off the side swinging back and forth.

Naruto looked at Sasuke to see if he knew this guy. The vampire's eyes were slightly wide with surprise before they narrowed. "Suigetsu."

"Aww, don't be like that, Sasuke." The boy disappeared right in front of them. Naruto gaped in surprise. "You should be a man and own up to them." The sudden appearance of Suigetsu between the duo had Naruto jumping two feet away and Sasuke standing unnaturally still. "The Sasuke I knew wouldn't give two shits who knew or not. So who is the bright blond beauty? He's not the type you usually go for."

"Why are you still here, Suigetsu? Why haven't you moved on already?" Sasuke replied coldly.

"I'm looking for my sword." The teen flung his arm over Sasuke's shoulders. "Have you seen it?"

"I have not. Look elsewhere before I throw salt at you."

Suigetsu laughed but took heed of the warning and removed his arm. "Touchy, touchy. But he will find out Sasuke. They always do." With those parting words, he disappeared.

"How did he do that?" Naruto asked, inspecting the spot Suigetsu disappeared at.

"He was a ghost, dobe. Suigetsu died with the rest of the vampire council. Though, that annoyance was a guard rather than a council member."

"A gh-gh-ghost?"

At the stuttering, Sasuke finally turned around to look at Naruto who was extremely pale. "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts."

"B-b-but he looked so real! How could he…."

Naruto looked seriously freaked out. It was amazing. Vampires, Naruto would fight head on. Throw in a ghost, Naruto looked like he was about to pass out. "I thought only dog breath had a fear of ghosts."

"That was before I knew they were real!" he shouted back.

Sasuke chuckled. "You had that much confidence they weren't real? After everything? You really are an idiot."

"Excuse me," their escort said timidly.

"AAAAAAHH!" Naruto gave a high pitched scream and clung onto Sasuke.

"Get off!" the vampire shoved the teen off him. "I can't believe you're that afraid of ghosts."

"It's not my fault Kiba dared me to watch scary movies when I was eight!"

"Excuse me. We should be heading back now," the escort spoke up again. "We are way behind schedule. We were supposed to meet with the representative an hour ago. "

Both Naruto and Sasuke didn't respond; too busy arguing about ghosts to have heard.

* * *

Why was the sun so bright? Why did they smile so brightly going on their merry way? This city was filled with disease, poverty, and corruption. How could these humans walk about smiling, pretending everything was all right even when deep down they were scum with hearts as polluted as the Thames.

Even as they went home to loved ones, they put on an act of innocence, pretending that they hadn't just sold a boy to an old pervert, or came back from their mistresses or prostitutes, or have alcohol on their breath. Of course, some where the opposite and put on the act in public even after beating their wives or children. All of them, every single one of them, lied, cheated, and stole their way through their life, too engulfed in their lives to even pay attention to a boy who lost everything.

Sasuke walked through the East End, shuffling his feet in a stupor. It wasn't safe to walk around this part of the city during the day, let alone at night, but he didn't care. They were all dead. He had inherited everything, the money, his father's company, but none of it mattered. Itachi had betrayed him, corrupted by human beliefs.

The pain from the betrayal was all consuming. He couldn't sleep without seeing his brother's blood drenched face, couldn't eat without vomiting it up, and didn't have a moment's rest. He just wanted the pain to go away. He didn't want to feel. He just wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run, and he could think of nothing else but revenge, and yet he was too weak to obtain it.

He was going mad. He could sense it even in his young mind. He was drowning in it. He had wandered into the East End and saw things that cemented his belief that humans were nothing but monsters. Perhaps if Itachi turned sooner, he wouldn't have fallen prey to his humanity. But he wouldn't. He wasn't really human. He was better than human. He wouldn't be like Itachi. He wouldn't be a monster. He would become a vampire and make his father proud.

He was leaning against a wall when he heard them. Two men stumbled out of an alley, laughing and leaning on each other for support, obviously intoxicated. On their belts, Sasuke saw the small red crosses. They were hunters. Templars, his father called them in England. He sensed power, chakra, or holy energy, emanating off them. They had obviously just used their power, and Sasuke just felt the residual energy left behind. Sasuke could also see the lumps under their coats that concealed their swords.

He waited for them to leave before entering the alley from which they came. From what he saw, he could no longer feel surprise or fear. Just anger. So much anger. The form of a woman, her clothes in tatters, and her head feet away from her body, laid on the cold dirt ground. For being "God's" enforcer's, it was ironic they would forcefully fornicate with "devil's spawn" before dispatching her.

Hypocrites. Liars. Evil incarnate. Humans were nothing but food, cattle for a much more superior and sophisticated race. Sasuke didn't even know what he was doing. His body moved on its own.

He left the rapidly aging body to decay and followed their path.

Let the pain go away. Make it go away.

"Sirs," Sasuke spoke up timidly, his hands behind his back and looking down bashfully. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but you don' suppose you could spare a halfpenny for me would ya? I ain't even seen no crust of bread in days. I'll work for it."

The two men looked at each other than one, the taller one, smiled at the boy. "What are you doing here child? It is far past the time for young ones to be in bed."

The other templar stared at Sasuke with a strange look. "I am certain we could take him to the church for a spot to eat. He looks half dead already.

The taller one genuinely smiled at Sasuke. "A noble idea." Without Sasuke's permission, the taller templar picked him up and carried him in his arms to a church not too far away. The church was old, and rundown, but obviously lived in. The templar set Sasuke down in the front row of bleachers.

"Ethan, why not head home. I am sure your son wishes to know you are well."

The templar, named Ethan, took out a pocket watch and frowned at the hour. "Time has passed quickly. Do you not mind taking care of the lad?"

"It is no trouble," the other assured.

Ethan looked back at Sasuke and ruffled his hair. "Return home after this and offer apologizes to your loved ones. They must worry if you are wondering the streets so late."

"I have none," Sasuke stated flatly, glancing at the other templar that had yet to have a name.

Ethan's face showed sympathy as he rested his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. If Sasuke didn't know better, the man looked the part of a gentleman with a crisp, clean appearance, with his wheat colored hair recently trimmed. "Then when the morning arrives, I will return to take you to my home. I am certain my son, Matthew, would love to have a playmate and brother."

"Thank you, sir."

With another smile and hair ruffle, Ethan departed, leaving Sasuke with the other templar.

"No family?"

"No, sir," Sasuke responded keeping his eyes down.

"Do you understand the meaning behind your words earlier? About working for your food?"

Sasuke's dark eyes looked up, locking onto the man's. Slowly, he unbuttoned the overly large shirt he had put on, watching the man's eyes leer at his body.

The man approached Sasuke, caressing his face. "You hold a mysterious beauty. Such smooth and clear skin, and hair as dark as the night sky, and delicate like a girl." He cupped the boy's crotch. "Not a lass, but I would like to see for certain."

Sasuke let the man touch him and let himself be pulled into the large arms. The templar partially undressed, removing his coat, hidden chainmail, and sword. The man's lips went to Sasuke's neck, nipping and bruising it.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his neck too, smiling all too innocently when he clumsily initiated a kiss. The templar pushed down his pants letting his erection free and Sasuke let his hand go down to touch it. The man grinned at how forward the boy was. That was until the boy used the knife hidden in his hand to cut off the man's dick in one swift movement.

The man flung Sasuke away, and Sasuke easily caught himself before he was thrown into the altar, the man's penis still in his hand. The man on the other hand was curled into a ball, cupping his crotch with his hands. "Brat!"

"It is appropriate, do you not think so?" Sasuke said, his voice dripping with cold venom and his speech reverting to one of the upper class. "You chose to sin in this holy place, luring children here to defile them in front of the eyes of your God, the one you so called serve. Fitting you should lose the cause of your lust in front of Him as well." He held up the penis before tossing it onto the altar. "Imbecile."

"I will kill you!" the man tried to grab his weapon, but Sasuke was faster, kicking the man's face ,then grabbing the sword and stabbing his stomach.

"Humans may be vile, but hunters are worse. To die a dog's death is too good for your kind."

The man weakly grabbed onto the blade of the sword but did not have the strength to pull it out.

"You disgust me." Sasuke kicked him onto his side. "If I had the power, if I were not so weak, I would not have had to resort to such trickery. I should take the payment out of your hide for making someone of my status sink so low for someone like you." Sasuke sliced into his neck slowly from one side to the other. "The end will come to all of you." The blood was so warm in his hands. Humans bled so much more than vampires.

Red was such an ugly color. It matched the darkness in his heart. Watching the human man struggling underneath his small body was exhilarating. There was no more pain because this man was the one in pain now. Sasuke could feel the life seep from the man beneath him.

Soon enough, he was dead. Sasuke's hands were drenched in blood. The pain that had temporarily disappeared was back full force and the boy's eyes teared in frustration. Why wouldn't it go away? He made his first kill. He killed his parents' enemy. Why didn't he feel any stronger? Why wasn't it enough? Why did it feel like he was still drowning? He wanted the pain and fear to go away!

Sasuke stumbled out of the church. Living in the darkness was part of being a vampire. Perhaps this pain, this hatred and desire for vengeance, was the start of his path to strength. The urge to make it go away, the weight that threatened to crush him, was the motivation he needed to continue on. He would use it against the humans, the hunters that inspired the madness in others. He would do it even if it killed him.

* * *

The hotel was ritzy and obviously high class. When they walked in, Naruto was practically blinded by the light from the chandelier hanging down in the lobby, reflecting off marble floors. Everyone around them was well dressed and there were bellhops and attendants running around either serving food or helping with the luggage. What was strange however was the amount of guests that seemed to be armed with weapons, particularly swords.

"Templars," Sasuke filled him in under his breath. "They are men of the Mizukage."

"Well it's some greeting. They aren't hiding very well. Anyone with any skill can tell they're carrying weapons." Naruto crossed his arms, inspecting every hunter his eyes laid upon.

"They're doing it on purpose. And it's not a greeting, but a warning."

They went up to the front desk where an attendant greeted them with a fake smile. " _Welcome, Mr. Uchiha_ ," the attendant said. " _We have been expecting you and have your room prepared."_ She handed him the key to his room. _"We will have someone bring your luggage."_

" _We have none."_ Sasuke responded. He turned to leave.

Naruto blushed at Sasuke's rudeness and gave a slight bow to the receptionist. " _Thank you_ ," he said quickly and ran off to follow Sasuke. "You could at least say cheerio or something. "

Sasuke looked over almost lazily. "You just want to hear me say speak in English again."

"Psh, like I care about that," Naruto turned away from him, though Sasuke could see that the tips of his ears were red.

The raven couldn't resist the urge to mess with his lover. He wrapped his arm around Naruto's waist pulling him closer so Naruto's back was against his chest. " _Does the lilt of the Queen's English turn you on, Naruto?"_ He breathed against his ear. He felt the body in his arms shiver. " _Let's shag. We can lock the lift. We've waited long enough."_

"Damn you, Sasuke. That's not fair." The blond glanced down at his crotch.

Sasuke thought he would help with his lover's problem by cupping him roughly, thoroughly pleased that his voice had such an effect if Naruto's erection had anything to say about that. _"Well aren't you a wanker. Planning to get your rocks off here with an audience?"_

Naruto turned around, so he could hide the tent in his pants between them. "You are such a bastard. Aren't you supposed to be a gentleman?"

"Says who?" Sasuke smirked.

Growling, Naruto pulled Sasuke's mouth to his into an aggressive kiss, forgetting that they were still technically in the foyer of the hotel surrounded by hunters. Sasuke obliged him. Naruto was his mate. He wasn't afraid to make that known to these hunters. If they bothered Naruto, then they would have to go through him.

As Sasuke debated breaking apart long enough to at least get to the elevator. He sensed movement behind him. He threw Naruto back, just as a sword came between the two of them. Instinctively, Naruto drew a kunai and Sasuke drew his own sword.

" _Good reflexes_. _I didn't think you'd be able to dodge it with you snogging in the foyer like that. Fancy yourself that strong to let your guard down like that do ya?"_

"Why the hell did you attack us?!" Naruto demanded.

" _What did he say?"_

" _He asked why you attacked. Though, you must be off your trolley to attack me under the Mizukage's eye."_

" _We aren't mates, Immortal. Everyone here's got it in for you. You muck up, and we'll be on ya before you can run. I just wanted to be the one to test you since you killed my great great grandda in front of his lad."_

" _What are you on about?"_

" _Ethan Abbot. 8_ _th_ _of_ _November, 1879,"_ the templar readjusted his grip on his sword _. "In the East End."_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _"Sod off."_

" _So you do remember,"_ the man smiled darkly _._

" _I don't give a bloody fuck about the dull dribble you're spouting. If you would excuse me, I have to see a man about a dog."_

"Kiba's here?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke had to resist the urge to roll his about that. It wasn't Naruto's fault he was taught American English rather than proper English. He made a mental note to teach him British metaphors.

" _Kind of a twit, isn't he."_

Sasuke grabbed the front of the man's shirt, lifting him off the ground. He could hear swords being drawn from all around him. The vampire paid little attention to it. " _That's my mate. Watch what you say about him."_

" _Hard to believe you're a back tickler."_

Sasuke was quickly losing his patience with the human, and it took Naruto's hand squeezing his shoulder tightly for him to let go.

" _Look. I understand about half of what you all are talking about, but I get you have some sort of issue with Sasuke."_ Naruto's eyes were sharp as he stared the human down, red seeped into his blue eyes. " _But if you keep agitating him, I'll kick your ass myself."_

" _Good luck with that. I hope you immortals get what's coming to you."_ The man straightened his shirt before walking away.

No one resheathed their swords however.

"Let's get out of here, before we cause more trouble," Naruto muttered, pulling Sasuke along to the elevator.

They didn't let their guard down until the doors closed behind them.

"What the hell was that about?" the blond said, turning on Sasuke in an instant. "And don't give me the "it's none of your business" glare either," he added when Sasuke turned to do just that. "I've left you alone until now because I thought you were sore about losing, but you've been acting strange since we landed."

Sasuke's lips thinned and looked straight ahead at the doors.

"Sasuke, I'm only going to say this one more time because I hate repeating myself and I'm getting tired of having to say it to you of all people, but we are mates. Lovers. I may not have much experience of being in a relationship let alone a committed one like this, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to trust me and let me in when something's going on with you. Yet, I'm starting to believe you don't really trust me all that much." He started to reach for Sasuke's hand, but stopped halfway and pulled back. "Give me something to work with?"

Sasuke's cold eyes turned onto Naruto. "If that's what you believe, than you're more of an idiot than I thought."

The doors opened and Sasuke left a stunned Naruto in the elevator. Naruto's eyes could only follow the raven down the hallway, floundering on what he should feel. The response was like a slap to the face. Surely Sasuke hadn't meant what he said. He was just bad with words. And yet, Naruto still felt like shit, and it was difficult to shove down the anger he felt from the response as well as the hurt.

Slowly, he left the elevator before the doors could close on him and followed behind him at a distance.

Sasuke opened the door first and went inside without waiting for Naruto causing Naruto to sprint if he didn't want to be locked out when the door closed. The fledgling tried to glare at Sasuke, but it was ineffective as Sasuke had already had his back turned to him. It was getting increasingly difficult not to be mad at him.

He wanted to say something to him, but the presence of another stopped him. Forcing his questions and comments to the back of his mind, Naruto put on a polite smile. "Hey, Sasori."

"You're late," he grunted. The red head was sitting on top a dining room table working on something. Seeing the tray full of autopsy tools, Naruto decided he didn't want to know. "Schwachkopf."

"Ich kann dich hören," Sasuke snapped.

Sasori looked up, clearly agitated. "If I wasn't forced to be here, and if Deidara didn't hate you, I'd kill you."

"That didn't even make sense," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And he didn't hate me."

"He was serious about his work, and he tended to blow up perfection. He was always pissed he couldn't kill you."

Feeling yet another conversation going over his head, Naruto headed towards the room's kitchen to see if they had any beer or alcohol in general.

"I thought they'd send a hunter to babysit us," Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the table.

"They were going too, but their spread thin and the ones who volunteered were too eager," Sasori was clearly displeased.

"So my cousin offered you. Brilliant."

"Once the sage returns, he will take my place." The council member picked up a towel to wipe the blood off his clothes.

"I'm surprised you're listening to their demands." Sasuke sat on the edge of the table, careful to stay clear of the blood and tools. Sasori was many things, but ballsy probably took the cake. He was making another puppet from what looked like a three year old kid.

"Vampires do not wish to be known to the world either. If it means we have to temporarily use the humans to do it, then we will. We rather not have the number of hunters double." And yet, Sasori was clearly doing something that could break that fragile alliance. "Don't worry, this body died of natural causes."

"What ability does he have?" The smell of stale blood was starting to make the raven nauseous, but he was curious. The child was so young. Nothing could have been developed to the extent that Sasori would desire it.

"Healing. The power was so potent, it killed him." Sasori started separating the organs.

"Still searching for the ultimate knowledge, Dr. Faust?"

The name brought a small smile to Sasori's face, something Sasuke had only seen once or twice and only with Deidara around. "It has been a couple centuries since I went by that name. I'm surprised you know."

"Yahiko loved to talk," Sasuke got off the table. "I take it you don't have any actual information to give us."

"Not quite. " Taking off his gloves, Sasori also got off the table and crossed his arms. "I do not know the details, but the lycans are restless. There is something off about the city as well."

"I've noticed," footsteps made Sasuke's eyes jump to the blond reentering the room. "Come on, dobe, let's go." Sasuke turned to leave. Naruto hesitated at first. After a couple seconds he followed as well.

They took a town car to the townhouse. It was a nice townhouse. It was two stories. It had a sitting room with two couches and a coffee table with large windows to let the light in and heavy drapes framing it, a fully stocked kitchen with the latest utilities and stainless steel pots and pans, an office, and upstairs, two bedrooms. The master bedroom was large with a queen canopy bed and a fireplace with a love seat in front of it. It was a nice place for a new couple. Unfortunately, to Naruto, they didn't feel like a new couple. The car ride was long and silent, and it was a relief to get out of the vehicle if to be relieved of the tense atmosphere for only a few minutes.

The discomfort around Sasuke didn't sit well with him. He kept telling himself Sasuke didn't mean it the way he did, but he couldn't think of any alternatives. But what really bothered him the most however, was that Sasuke still refused to tell him anything.

Throughout the afternoon, they moved around the townhouse in silence. Sasuke cooked him ramen, and a light English fair. After a bite or two, Naruto couldn't force anymore down and quietly excused himself. It was a stupid hope, but he hoped Sasuke would come after him and apologize.

He waited and waited and waited.

Naruto had almost fallen asleep by the time Sasuke had come to the bedroom. He felt the vampire slip into bed and wrapped his arm around his waist. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Naruto murmured back.

His voice seemed to startle him, and Sasuke seemed to debate whether to remove his hand or not.

"Can you tell me?" When he was met with silence, Naruto gripped his pillow tighter. "Sasuke, please."

Sasuke let go of his waist and replied with, "Don't have such little faith in me."

Naruto felt him turn onto his side with his back towards him, and Naruto curled up more. He couldn't let it get to him. Something was bothering Sasuke that was all. He just needed to let it go. Just let it go.

* * *

Sasuke walked into his down trodden home, walking with purpose to the jug of liquid awaiting him on the wooden, lopsided table. He pulled off his shirt, revealing the sword wound on his shoulder. He had gotten careless.

He picked up the jug and poured the contents onto his wound, not even making a sound as the wound sizzled. With no hesitation, he threaded a needle and stitched up the wound.

It was a one story house in the East End. He spent most of his time here since his family home had burned to the ground. While it had been rebuilt last year, he couldn't bring himself to go back; too afraid Itachi would find him. But that was okay, here was closer to his enemies. It was a base. The house was bare with two rooms, the bedroom and living space combined into one, and a kitchen. There was little furniture too, a straw mattress bed and a small table with a single chair. He didn't need more than that.

He placed the needle down, inspecting his handy work. It was going to be a nasty scar, but he didn't give it another thought. Picking up the chalk on the table, he added another tally among the dozens already on the stone. He had one more target he wanted to deal with tonight.

He moved around the house, ignoring the pain in his body and heart. It was a constant state these days. He hardly felt it. He had to keep moving. If he stayed still for too long, the pain would come back.

One more Templar and then he would rest. Just one more.

He left the house heading towards the docks. He knew where the last one would be. He was always around the docks.

Sasuke kept to the shadows as he watched the Templar, Charles Thompson, talked to a homeless man. "It is alright, Eddy. Just remember we have some jobs for you and your brother if you ever wish to leave the path of evil. Simple work, but pays well."

Charles smiled as the homeless man grabbed his hand and shook it. "God bless you, Charles. I will talk it over with my brother. Thank you for the medicine. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. I hope to see you there."

Eddy thanked Charles again several times even as he left. The hunter only smiled and went on his way once the old man was out of sight. Sasuke followed him.

As Charles made his way home, he would stop to lecture a child, who was up to no good, to go home or help a prostitute who was being hassled by a customer. The human was in no hurry to reach his destination it seemed like.

His dilly dallying was growing on Sasuke's nerves. Did the man know he was being followed? Is that why he kept stalling? It took almost an hour for Charles to make his way into an alley where no one was around. Sasuke followed him, hiding his blade in his sleeve.

Charles turned around, smiling at him. "You have come to kill me, right?" he asked, pulling out his sword.

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, drawing his blade. He infused chakra into his feet for a dash. Sasuke was prepared to dodge whatever strike the man would throw at him. Instead, Charles dropped his sword, and let Sasuke's blade run him through.

Sasuke didn't let surprise stop him from withdrawing his blade and stabbing his heart to ensure his death.

"May my death lift some of the darkness in your heart," the man whispered before collapsing onto the dirt road.

Sasuke started at the lifeless eyes. Why did this human look so at peace during his death?

"A stroke of luck. How fortunate for him to lay down his life in hope that a young human boy can find peace."

Sasuke tilted his head towards the sky. On top of one of the buildings, stood two figures, both dressed in finely tailored suits. One had orange colored hair, short and windblown, with playful brown eyes. The other stood behind him. His long red hair was tied into a ponytail though the strands too short to be pulled back fell into his face, giving him a shy look. Sasuke could barely see his eyes.

"For a human child you have some skill. Unrefined and obviously self trained, but you have talent," the orange haired man said.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at them.

The red hair man whispered something to the other man, and the orange hair man nodded.

Sasuke only blinked for a second, and the next moment, the orange hair man was standing in front of him. The young boy wasn't afraid even when the man's hand touched his cheek. "You must be the survivor of the Uchiha clan. Not many Orientals in these parts. You also have their coloring."

"Name your purpose," the raven spat.

"I am aware of everything that goes on in my territory. In the past two years, you have killed 49 hunters. However, they are now also aware of your presence. If it were not for that human's kindness, he would have killed you."

Sasuke used the flat of his blade to push the man's hand away. "Stop mucking about and tell me what you want," Sasuke said without an ounce of emotion.

The man gave him a look of sympathy. "Eyes like yours, eyes that have no life, are a dangerous thing. Have you forgotten you are still human?"

"I am not human. Don't ever associate me with those monsters."

"You are but skin and bones, and your body weary from lack of sleep, yet you are not aware of it. If you continue on your current path, you will die."

"What do you care?" Sasuke asked, glancing at the man still on the roof.

"To be a vampire is to live in the darkness. We cannot leave our names in the world, we commit sins in order to go on living, and we must move if we associate with humans once every decade or two. However, what you are doing is not the way to go about living in such a world either." The man extended his hand. "Come with me, and I will be your mentor. You long for the vampire world don't you?"

Sasuke's eyes flickered to the hand. "You will turn me?"

"When you are old enough. Until then, perhaps we can shed some light in the darkness."

Uncertainly, Sasuke took the hand. "I am Sasuke Uchiha."

The man grinned brightly. "You may call me Yahiko." The shy looking young man peered out from behind Yahiko, clutching onto a book. "And this is my right hand man, Nagato. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sasuke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the last update for a while. No one reads this, but Cardinal Rule is almost done. I should finish it. At this point I write this story for myself. And in my head, Itachi is probably being his sexy Japanese-British self somewhere. . . drool
> 
> The German is "idiot" and "I can hear you."


	7. Kurama part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurama's past. Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did tell you guys, I wasn't going to update this one often. Sorry this chapter is short though. I might combine it with part two later.

Another day, another fruitless search. The young samurai tilted the brim of his bamboo hat forward, blocking the sun from his face. How long must he look before he found what he was searching for?

The sun was setting, casting shadows that stretched along the road and danced with the wind. It was going to be a dark night. The new moon, the darkest night of the month that beckoned demons to come out to play, was minutes away. It would not be safe to travel the mountain road, even for him.

In the distance a single lamp was lit, a beacon in the approaching darkness. A mirage perhaps? Why would there be a house in a place like this? Still, he needed shelter and it might be his best chance.

He neared the house when he felt something tug on his sleeve. He instinctively reacted, about to look down to see what pulled on his sleeve when a hand covered his eyes. “Do not look,” said a melodious voice. “He will steal your soul if you look at him.”

The samurai reached for his sword.

“Do not be afraid.” The slender hand over his eyes ghosted over his skin, trailing down his neck, then his shoulder, down his arms, to his hands. Gently, he was pulled forward. Soon enough he felt the heat of a fire and the smell of a warm meal.

“You may open your eyes.”

The samurai obeyed. He was inside the hut, a fire going strong in the center. The woman who had guided him was kneeled in front of the pot, her hair smooth and as dark as night and had the complexion of a doll, flawless. Her dark eyes were unfocused as she stirred the pot’s contents. “The yokai presence on this road is strong. It is not wise to travel when the sun begins to set.”

“It is not a problem for someone like me,” the samurai said.

The woman paused in the middle of serving herself soup, considering the comment. “While you are no longer human, you are no yokai.” She placed a lid back over the pot and removed it from the fire. “You have been searching for me, yes?”

“Perhaps, do you know why I am here?”

She looked at him, but the samurai felt that she was looking through him as she responded, “When the great goddess fell, the goddess’s son, the one who defeated her, split her pet into nine beings. These nine beings took the form of spirits and demons.”

“I do not understand what this has to do with anything.”

“These spirits are both wise and feral. Many have tried to rid this world of them, but they cannot be destroyed. If killed, they become reborn with even greater strength. The amount of tails they have equates to their strength.”

“Why are you telling me this?” the samurai asked.

“A fox spirit, one of nine tails, resides on Mt. Kurama. If you want power, consume this spirit’s soul gem before it vanishes for its rebirth.”

“Will it really work?”

“Seven of the nine spirits have already been consumed by others like you. However, the one you seek will be the most powerful of all of the spirits. Take heed, if you consume this spirit, you will no longer be human nor will you be spirit.”

The samurai smiled, showing his fangs. “I think I can live with that. As long as I have the power.”

The young, beautiful woman smiled something mysterious and foreboding. “The power to defeat the pale humans who will come to this land will be yours, young master. I would not worry about that.”

The samurai stood, drawing his sword, “Thank you, seer. I will take my leave now.”

“It is still dark,” she protested as the young man opened the door.

“I know,” he said, smiling as he sensed the yokai draw closer. “Their blood will satisfy my hunger . . .For now.”

* * *

 

The bells to the church were ringing and people were filing out. It had been a long time since Sasuke had been to church. Not since his first kill anyway. He was sure there was a bad joke in here somewhere. A vampire walking into a church. People always felt so safe in a building that was just like everywhere else. It made good hunting grounds since people let their guards down in churches, but that wasn’t why he was here.

He made his way to a confessional and entered, taking his seat on the small wooden bench. “Forgive me, Father, for I have been dealt the hand of the devil.”

The priest was silent before a soft chuckle drifted to Sasuke’s ears. “It has been a long time child.”

A small smile graced Sasuke’s lips as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

“Now, now, young Uchiha, you should not smoke in the house of God.”

“If I believed, I might take your warning more seriously.” The vampire took a drag. “I need to meet with the lycans.” Without being able to see the priest, Sasuke could sense the man’s frown.

“It is almost the full moon,” the priest replied slowly. “And they aren’t fond of you, Sasuke.”

“I know, but I need to meet with them.”

Silence filled the booth for a good two minutes before Sasuke got his reply. “I will do it. Meet me in front of the chapel tomorrow night at midnight, and please, do not hunt in their territory before then.”

“Thank you, Father. Take care,” Sasuke stood to leave.

“You too, child. And Sasuke,” the vampire paused, “I am glad you seemed to have found peace.”

Sasuke left without replying. He didn’t know what to say to things like that. He was never good with people, not like his brother.

He took a taxi back to the duplex, getting back rather quickly considering the distance. It was nine in the morning, an unusual time for him to be awake, preferring to work in the afternoons and sleeping in from late nights. Paying the driver, he got out, intending to get a couple more hours of sleep.

When he entered the duplex he felt the soft, powerful energy flowing from the living room. Naruto was meditating again. The blonde had been doing that a lot lately. Once in a while, the fledgling would slip into sage mode. This was one of those times.

Naruto opened his eyes, revealing their amber color, looking up at Sasuke. He smiled uncertainly. Sasuke never wanted to see that on his mate, not directed at him. “I didn’t know you were going out. If you woke me up, I’d have gone with you.”

“I know,” Sasuke replied, adding nothing else.

Naruto smiled a bit less.  Getting up, the rest of the nature energy around him dissipating, he grabbed his coat. “I’m going out for a bit. Don’t worry about making dinner for me.”

“You shouldn’t go out alone, dobe,” Sasuke was moving to get his coat, but the blonde’s voice stopped him.

“If I get in a jam, Kurama will help out.”

**_I will?_ **

Ignoring the comment, Naruto waited. Sasuke looked like he was going to say something, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Finally he said, “Be safe.”

Naruto left disappointed. He was trying to be understanding, but as always, it was easier said than done. Sasuke was being himself, but right now, he wanted to strangle him for making him feel like this.

Burying the lower half of his face in his soft, checkered scarf, Naruto walked down the sidewalk. The air was cool and damp and the sound of the city was so different than the quiet mountain forest of Konoha. He felt homesick. It was strange because he hadn’t been home in months minus the three days at the embassy, but here, he missed it, missed his friends. He didn’t even care that they lied to him anymore. He just wanted him, Kiba, and Gaara to be on the rooftop smoking and causing trouble. He almost preferred thinking he was just crazy than having the knowledge he was a walking prison for an ancient being.

He found himself in a shopping district filled with older shops then the expensive downtown ones he saw before. Unlike the newer shops, these were filled with locals and few tourists were wondering about. It wasn’t bright and attractive, but it felt well loved by the people nearby. Naruto admired the old store fronts and peering through the front windows to see the items on display. Despite his Asian facial structure, his blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin helped him blend in.

There was one shop however that caught his attention. Just across the street from where he stood was a small shop separated from the others. Nothing on the outside seemed out of place, but there was something about it that drew Naruto in. He sensed that it surrounded by a faint layer of chakra. The sign the hung above the door was faded and needed a fresh coat of paint, but the gold letters were still legible though he could not pronounce it. In the front window sat precious stones and powders on display against a red velvet backdrop. It made the blonde curious about what type of store it was. He tried to read the sign again. He could make out the second word to be stone, but he didn’t recognize the first. Ph…philo…why was English so hard to read?

Sighing, he was going to continue his wanderings when he spotted Sasori coming out of the store carrying a paper bag full of items.  Their eyes met.

The vampire adjusted the bag in his arms, titled his head slightly to the side to the left, and continued walking. Naruto followed.

* * *

 

 The mist of the mountain was getting thicker. He had long since left the stone steps that led to the Kurama temple, taking the path through the trees following the flow of power to the mountain top. The forest was quiet, not even the howls of the wolves disturbed the silence. But the mist kept thickening, and even the samurai’s enhanced sight was beginning to fail him.

“A young traveler lost within the miasma of the mountain, yet fear does not emanate from him. Tell me young warrior, is it naivety or reckless bravery that makes you lack,” the voice floated to the samurai’s ears. It sounded of a young man, yet held a sense of wisdom in his words.

Casually the samurai looked to the trees and found the owner of the voice. The man had a young face, but his hair was long, and snow white, tied at the end with a piece of twine. His body was slender under the monk like clothing as one leg draped off the side of the branch he sat in, the other leg propped up and his back leaning against the tree. His six ringed staff was held loosely in his grip by the arm that rested on his propped up leg while the other hand held up a lantern, the only light in the forest.

The stranger was strikingly beautiful, but he was not human as two black winged protruded from his back. And his eyes. His eyes were more inhuman than the wings. Nothing about them outwardly seemed out of the norm, yet when the samurai looked into their black depths, he felt power and wisdom behind them. This man was old, far older than the image he projected, far older than any being this samurai had met before, maybe more so than the beast he was seeking.

“What are you?” the samurai asked.

“A guardian of the mountain.” He released the lantern, and it continued to float in the air where he released it. Grabbing a fan from his hip, he opened it, revealing the seven black feathers it was made up of, but instead of fanning himself, he closed it again and tapped his chin as if in thought.

Realization hit the samurai of whom he was speaking to, and he bowed his head to the being before him. “Kami-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure of a personal visit.”

“Soujoubou-sama if you please,” the man said.

“Soujoubou-sama,” the samurai corrected. “I have come to defeat the spirit plaguing your mountains.”

The deity raised his eyebrows in surprise. “A plague he is not, but the spirit of the mountain itself. You wish to defeat him?”

The samurai tensed. “I do not wish to offend you or your mountain. I wish to protect this land, and I need his power to do it.”

Soujoubou considered the man who stood before him, who kept his head bowed. “If you have the power to defeat the spirit of this mountain, then you are stronger than even some of the minor gods, why seek additional power? What use could you need it for?”

“A prophecy of the future, of a Japan lost to the outsiders, of lost traditions, gods, and lives. I wish to stop it.”

“A prophecy is so called for a reason. It will come to pass despite your efforts. I fear that you are aware of this and yet do not fully understand what you are seeking. There is no such thing as full control. Raw power cannot be contained.”

“Yet I must try,” the samurai insisted. “I beg of you, Soujoubou-sama, allow me to do this. Show me the way to the fox spirit. I will pay tribute if that is what you wish for your guidance.”

The deity smiled wryly. The smile made the god even more beautiful, yet foreboding. “There is no need for tribute. Not this time.” A ball of blue fire appeared in the distance, then another, then another, forming a path through the forest. “Good luck to you, young samurai.” Stretching his wings, Soujoubou took to the sky, disappearing into the mist.

Staring at the will-o’-the-wisp, the samurai hesitated to follow them, but he did not believe that Soujoubou would lead him astray. He followed them the rest of the way up the mountain. It was just before dawn when he reached the top. And the beast was expecting him.

The fox was large, as big as a two houses with nine, large, furry tails waving behind it. Its orange fur was immaculately groomed and red eyes looked angry, bored, and annoyed rolled into one. **“Another human who wishes to challenge me, and he comes alone. Has the wit of humanity fallen so low that they believe I will lose to a single human, tainted with evil or not?”** The fox gave a malicious grin, baring his sharp canines. **“I will gladly kill you for your incompetence _.”_**

The samurai did not waste his time speaking and instead drew his sword. He would show this spirit what he was made of.

* * *

 

Naruto followed Sasori into an old one story building. From the outside, it looked abandoned. It was in desperate need of a coat of paint, the windows were warped and there were signs of severe water damage on the outside, but the inside held a sophisticated lab full of the latest equipment. It was obviously well taken care of as there was not even a single speck of dust on anything.

The red headed doctor placed his bag on a metal lab table in the center of the room and proceeded to remove his coat and hat. Naruto kept his coat and scarf on and took a seat on the edge of the table with lack of anywhere else to sit. The teen watched Sasori unpack his purchases, consisting of many unlabeled bottles, powders, and plants, but the doctor seemed to know exactly what everything was and placed them accordingly in a giant white cabinet full of other ingredients.

Sasori didn’t ask him anything. He just went to work once everything was put away, typing on his computer with occasionally stopping to peer into a microscope. Naruto was relieved by this. He didn’t need a lecture about how dangerous it was for him to be wandering outside by himself. He knew firsthand how dangerous it was, but he couldn’t take the heavy atmosphere anymore, and he didn’t want to be left alone with just his thoughts. To wake up alone and find that Sasuke had left him without a single word and didn’t plan to tell him anything and didn’t trust him enough to be his support and backup, hurt more than Naruto wanted it to.

And it scared him that he was so vulnerable to what Sasuke thought of him and how he treated him. He was used to being hurt and not trusted. That was everyday of his life growing up. He learned to lock the pain away, ignore it, and put on a smile anyway. Even with Gaara he had never showed his insecurities to the extent he showed Sasuke. He hated himself for feeling vulnerable because of this. Hated himself for being worked up over something so small and stupid. Hated himself for thinking maybe he rushed into things.

He watched Sasori work for who knew how long. It was calming just to watch him work. Naruto never really liked the sciences. He didn’t like numbers and formulas, but he could appreciate someone who was good at it. Sasori had always been kind of creepy to him, maybe because Naruto’s first impression of him was cold, short tempered, and really liked his morgue. That impression still hadn’t changed, but he wasn’t a complete stranger anymore either.

Naruto looked around the lab, his eyes landing on a picture of Sasori and Deidara on his desk. That was right, Sasori had recently lost his mate.  “Sasori…do you miss him?” he asked quietly.

The red head paused in the middle of his typing briefly then continued to as if he never stopped.  “Every day.”

Naruto fell into silence once more.  After a while he asked, “Did you ever have problems?”

Sasori gave a short sigh, leaning back into his computer chair. “Every couple has problems. While you are attracted to one another, you are still two different individuals. It is inevitable. In my case, Deidara and I fought ever day.”

“But you trusted one another right?”

Sasori swirled around in his chair. “What did the idiot Uchiha say this time?”

“He’s not an idiot,” the blonde defended before he could even stop himself. He flushed when Sasori gave him an impatient look. “He said that I was an idiot when I said I didn’t think he trusted me all that much and that couples were supposed to trust one another.”

“Hn,” Sasori turned back to his computer. “Is that all?”

Naruto looked down in embarrassment, feeling stupid. “Yes.”

“Does he sleep in your presence?”

The teen frowned. “Well yeah.”

“Does he engage in meaningless conversations with you no matter how stupid they are?”

“Yeah, but if that’s all then I might as well be called his friend that he just so happens wants to sleep with.”

Sasori muttered something under his breath that sounded something like not being paid enough. “He’s never done those things before now. For Sasuke, Naruto, those things are a sign of trust. I’ve known that boy since he was only fourteen years old and I have never seen him speak when it wasn’t required and no one before you has seen him sleep in front of another when not near death. He’d wake whenever they got close. For him to know you are there and to continue to sleep is letting his guard down. Not even the man who raised him had that much trust from the Uchiha. If you’ve held him while he slept, if he answers your questions, if he goes out of his way to do anything for you, prepare you a meal, listen to your problems, he’s laying himself bare for you and only you.”

Naruto’s heart warmed at the thought only he had ever seen his lover’s sleeping face, still he couldn’t help but add, “He still could tell me what he’s thinking.”

Sasori looked over his shoulder giving Naruto an expression that said he was an idiot.

No, Sasuke probably couldn’t.

“He’s trying, Naruto. It’s going to take time for him to figure out what to say.”

Naruto sighed. “I know he is.” Hopping down from the table, he gave the man a small smile. “I better get back before I make him worry.”

“Lock the door when you leave.”

Naruto turned to leave muttering a quick thank you in his hurry to get back.

Once Naruto was gone, Sasori picked up the phone and waited for the call to connect. “He’s on his way back. You owe me.”

“. . . .Thank you . . . for watching over him.” Sasuke’s voice came over the speaker.

“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know.” Sasuke hung up.

“Definitely not paid enough,” the red head muttered before going back to his work for real this time.

* * *

 

He did it. The fox’s large body lay motionless on the ground, beheaded. He was in a poor state himself, deep gashes all over his body made from claw marks and his right arm missing from the elbow down, but his wounds were slowly healing. He sheathed his broken blade just as a small light the size of a pea emerged from the dead body. He reached out with his left hand, infusing it with chakra, to snatch it out of thin air.

It was hot, almost burning, to the touch. Even so, the samurai could feel it getting small, losing its heat, trying to be reborn.  Before that could happen, he put it into his mouth, swallowing it whole.

At first the heat died down immediately and he could no longer feel it. He did however feel the power. The chakra he had spent the past two days facing, racing threw his body, healing his wounds, sealing them close within seconds, but the chakra kept spreading, kept growing stronger until it consumed his entire being. He was burning. His insides were on fire.

He clutched his chest, and he doubled over clawing at the ground with his newly formed hand. His vision blurred and the pain was overwhelming. He gasped for air and every breath seemed harder to draw than the last.  No, he could control this, he could control this.

“You will not…. Beat me,” he gasped.

**You will not control me _._**

He screamed in pain curling in on himself. He could feel his body changing. His fair fell into his face as he squirmed. He barely realized its black color turning to a fiery orange, and his eye sight was becoming sharper.

**You will not control me. Control _…_**

_Us. We are…_

**We are…**

**_I am…_ **

In the corner of his eye, he could see a figure falling from the sky. It was a moment before it registered who it was. Soujoubou landed gracefully, his fan once again in his hand, held up, covering the bottom half of his face from view.

**“Soujoubou . . .** _sama . . ._ **Soujou _. . .bou . . . We burn.”_**

The deity closed his fan. “Kurama-dono.”

The man grabbed onto Soujoubou’s robe, his nails having lengthened and sharpened ripping the fabric. “ ** _Help u-me.”_**

Soujoubou watched the creature with a touch of sympathy in his eyes. Bending down, he touched the tip of the fan to the middle of the samurai’s forehead. Cold replaced the fire, spreading from the point of contact rapidly. It was such a relief that his body just collapsed, his eyes staring vacantly into the sky. He lay there unthinking and unmoving.

He felt slender but strong arms pick up his limp body, his head falling against a strong chest. “You are in for a long night, Kurama-dono, this fix is only temporary.”

The samurai didn’t respond, just let himself be carried. The god took to the skies and all he could see was blue as he was whisked away.

**_We are Kurama_**.

* * *

 

Naruto ran home. He had to apologize since he knew Sasuke wasn’t going to. He only stopped when he had to wait to cross the street. As he waited, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He wasn’t alone, he was surrounded by humans in a hurry to get to their destination, but they seemed so far away, like there was a bubble around him separating him from the rest of the world. Something cold reached out to him, he could sense it, but when he whirled around, drawing the attention of the humans around him, there was nothing. No hunter, no vampires. Recalling that ghosts were real, he felt especially anxious to get back. The light gave him the go ahead and he ran a little faster, leaving whatever it was behind.

_ Interesting. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soujoubou is a real mythical creature. He's a tengu. This isn't filler either. It is related to the plot. Okay maybe not the Naruto part. That's probably filler though I didn't originally intend it to be.
> 
> 10 days until b-day! 
> 
> Need a beta for this story.


	8. Kurama part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying something new. An entire chapter of flash backs. I personally like mixing current events with past events, but one it would make this chapter twice as long, and two I was stuck on current events. I was told to try it so I did. Let me know if I should just combine all of Kurama's flashbacks from the last chapter and this chapter to make one long flashback or if I should just mix the present. 
> 
> PS. Explainations of stuff given at end of chapter

Who are we? What are we? We remember the flames, the burning. We remember the pain and the nightmares, but what is our name? My name?

**There were nine of us, born without a name.**

_My village burned to the ground._

**We were the guardians. We protected the forests, the deserts, the mountains, the waters, and the life that resided in them.**

_My wife and children were among the casualties, slaughtered when they tried to escape._

**But one day, my brothers were scattered.**

_I was turned against my will, my sire, a man of pale skin and bright hair, left me unaware. Ignorant of what I was or how to control the hunger, I killed._

**I remained. The humans began to fear and hate me. The attacks were relentless.**

_The pale man took everything from me._

**I retaliated. First in self preservation, then out of anger. I became the monster they made me out to be, and I was left alone.**

_Afraid of attacking anyone else, I was forced to be alone._

**_Loneliness._ **

Kurama jerked awake from his sleep, shooting up into a sitting position. His eyes darted around the room, his breathing heavy. His eyes finally landed on a small creature, no bigger than a young child, with the face of a crow, body covered in black feathers, but had human shaped hands and body, and was dressed in monk’s robes. Its wings on its back were too small for its body signaling its young age. The young child seemed startled by Kurama’s sudden movements, dropping the wet rag it had been holding.

“Kurama-dono, I see you have awakened.” The sliding door to the room opened, revealing Soujoubou (1). Instead of his fan, he held a long narrow smoking pipe and his monk robes had been replaced with a white sleeping robe.

The small tengu ran to his master, hiding behind Soujoubou’s legs.

“Kurama…” he said uncertainly. “That’s . . . my name. **_Hn, I knew that._** ”

The god looked down at the small child. “Karasu-kun, go practice your martial arts.”

The child peered around the older tengu’s leg, glancing at Kurama before nodding and leaving the room quickly.

 ** _“_** **Cute brat _._** Though he seems to fear me,” Kurama stopped, his eyebrows knitting together at the change of speech.

“He volunteered to take care of you while your body finished merging. You had quite the fever.”

“Soujoubou-sama, I don’t understand what’s happening to me. Could you **cut the shit, and tell me what you know already, you old crow?”**

“While your body has assimilated to the change, your souls have yet to fully merge. You are essentially two souls in one body. Until you have finally become one, you will teeter from one soul to the other, and your memories will feel disconnected. They will feel like they are yours yet they will not.”

 ** _“You are as knowledgeable as ever, but I must ask how you know so much, Soujou-chan._** ”

Soujoubou didn’t seem to appreciate the nickname judging by his expression, but he didn’t comment on it. “The tengu are well informed.”

“Why do you help me?”

The tengu sat beside Kurama, putting the pipe to his lips. “My job is to guide the tengu and protect and serve the mountain. You are the spirit of the mountain.”

The fox scoffed, running a hand through his hair. It had been taken out of its pony tail, its strands barely going past his shoulders. **“You did a fantastic job protecting me bringing a human to kill me _.”_**

“If a mere human can defeat the great fox spirit, then not even my abilities would guarantee victory. And I was ordered to.”

Anger stormed over Kurama’s features, his read eyes glaring holes into the god. **“Who?”** he demanded.

“Amaterasu.”

Kurama frowned. Why would she have commanded such a thing?

“What will you do now?”

The question brought him out of his puzzlement. What was done was done. He couldn’t change it now. “I will leave the mountain,” even as he said it, uneasiness gripped his chest.

“You will find it difficult to leave this place.”

“I came for power. I have obtained it. “

“But this is still your domain and your responsibility.”

Kurama scoffed. **_“I don’t need to listen to the ramblings of an old man.”_** He pushed the covers back and stood up on the futon. “ ** _And where the hell is my sword.”_**

Soujoubou quirked an eyebrow. “I will retrieve it for you.”

“Thank you, **_for being a pain in my ass. I’ll get it myself.”_**

“As you wish.”

Kurama stormed out, leaving the small, humble house and picking up his sword on the way out, tying it to his hip. Walking outside, he sensed the presence of other tengu nearby, but none approached him. He had no idea where he was going to go from there but he couldn’t stay in the tengu settlement either. He was getting hungry, and he wasn’t going to piss off a god by feeding off his people.

“Wait!” Kurama stopped, just at the gates to the village, turning to see who called out to him. A small tengu child came running, nearly tripping in his haste. He stopped short however, keeping his distance. Fear was obvious in his eyes, but so was determination. “Take me with you.”

The absurdity of the request took a moment to process. Why would a child so frightened of him wish to be with him. **“ _I do not need some brat who hasn’t even learned to fly let alone learn how to change his appearance yet_.”**

The child looked down in disappoint, his small feathered fists shaking in frustration.

**_“When you’ve learned all you can from your master, then seek me out. Maybe I’ll consider it.”_ **

Kurama didn’t turn around but he could feel the child’s shock followed by his joy and excitement. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

A small smile graced the samurai’s lips as he walked down the path leading down the mountain.

* * *

 

People are drawn to those with power.

When Kurama returned to his mountain, he hadn’t expected the shrine built for him. It was small, one built for a minor deity, but there was a spirit inhabiting inside of it, keeping it clean, and organizing the wishes and offerings humans had left.

“Kurama-sama! Welcome back,” the small spirit said. The spirit was the size of a young girl, a fox mask covering her face. “My name is Kyouko. I am a servant of your shrine. I have collected and managed the offerings and wishes left in your absence.”

A spirit born of the wishes of humans(2), Kurama thought, but why humans would build him a shrine in the first place escaped him. Sure he had saved a few villages from yokai, but it was only because he had something to gain from it.

“How does it feel to be a minor deity?”

Kurama looked away from the shrine and up at the tree to his left. A young man with long black hair tied in a high ponytail sat on a limb, a sword on his hip. Smiling, the young man jumped down with grace, almost like he was flying. “Kurama-sama,” he greeted.

The vampire used his thumb to nudged against the guard of his sword, pushing his katana out of the sheath enough to show a hint of the blade. “ ** _What do you want?_** ”

The man stopped his advancement and raised his hands away from his sword. “You said when I have learned all I could from Souroubi-sensei, I could join you.” Two black wings sprouted from his back. “As you can see I’ve mastered the transformation jutsu along with everything else he had to teach.”

It took a moment to recall the small tengu he had made the promise to. It was impressive that this young yokai was able to track him down. **_“You sought me out quickly.”_**

The tengu snorted. “Hardly. It has been half a century since we last met.” Smiling he said, “I wish to follow you.”

 ** _“And again, I do not need the help of a snot nosed brat. I work alone.”_** Kurama didn’t even look up, still considering what he should do with his new servant and shrine.

“I thought you might say that, so I came with proof of my usefulness.”

The statement caught the fox’s curiosity, and he redirected his attention back to the young tengu. In the tengu’s hands was the head of the demon on Mt. Hiei, the demon Kurama had planned to take care of next. “I was my master’s best pupil.”

**_“What’s your name, kit.”_ **

The young man’s eyes brightened with child like excitement. “Menma.”

**_“If you follow me there’s no going back. And I can’t be there every time to protect your sorry ass. Can you deal with that?”_ **

The boy smirked, once again hiding his wings. “You underestimate me, but I accept your terms.”

Kurama growled ** _. “Do what you will.”_** Deciding to at least look at some of the requests, he took the scroll from the spirit and accepted the monetary offerings.

“You know, Kurama-sama,” Menma approached to look over Kurama’s shoulder. “There are others who wish to join you.”

 ** _“Fuck no,”_** was his immediate reply.

“You should consider it. You could start your own night of a hundred demons parade(3).”

Kurama almost laughed at the thought. “ ** _Like I’d want to be responsible for that many irritants.”_ ** He put the scroll into his bag. **_“Let’s go.”_**

+

“Bastard is feeling no shame,” Menma laughed, pointing at the bakeneko yokai, dancing naked in front of the raging fire, cheeks flushed from alcohol. “Come on Kurama, drink.” He leaned over to fill his lord’s cup, his hands as steady as when he was sober.

“Brat, you should speak with respect when addressing Kurama-sama.” A yuki onna snapped, the air around her dropping quickly in temperature. She sat on Kurama’s left while Menma sat on his right.

Kurama picked up his cup, smiling into his sake. Menma had indeed become rather crude since he had joined him, yet somehow it didn’t detract from the charming personality the tengu seemed to have. He was talented with a sword and in ninjutsu. When asked about what his master was up to lately, Menma would shrug and mutter something about teaching the humans swordsmanship and ninjutsu. He sounded bitter whenever he spoke of it, so Kurama left it, not feeling a need to press. He asked out of mild curiosity after all.

He felt a hand push back his orange locks, and he sent a glare to his right hand man. “ ** _What are you doing?”_**

“It’s a nuisance isn’t it? It fell into your eyes during the battle again today, and you stopped wearing your hair ties.”

The fox sneered, finishing his sake in a mouthful. **_“No point when my chakra incinerates it whenever I release it,”_** he muttered.

The next thing Kurama knew, the kid was behind him, gathering his hair into his hands and started weaving it. When he was done, it was in one long braid with a few loose strands framing his face. “How’s that?”

**_“Hair is hair. It does not matter what is done with it.”_ **

Menma laughed full heartedly, nearly toppling over when he tried to sit down. “You have a beautiful mane. You should take care of it.”

Kurama nearly smiled in amusement. **_“And you have rice on your chin, kit (4).”_**

“My lord, you should not indulge him so much. It is why he is becoming so spoiled.” The snow woman pushed back her frost colored hair behind her ear. “He’ll become soft.”

Menma had apparently decided to no longer pay attention, deciding to dance with the bakeneko around the fire as the other yokai cheered him on. He had changed his hair color to blonde and his eye color to blue. Kurama never understood why the tengu would do so. He had never met a tengu who could change their human appearance, but when Menma was light hearted, almost childlike, his appearance became light as well, and on the battlefield, his hair and eyes were the darkest black as if to reflect his deeds.

**_“He is hardly a child despite what I call him. He might even surpass Soujoubou someday.”_ **

The woman opened her mouth to say something when the yokai nearest to the forest, stood up quickly bodies turned in the same direction, weapons drawn. Kurama didn’t move, still lounging in his seat. He didn’t have to worry. Menma had moved before the others had, sword drawn and to the intruders neck.

“State your purpose.” If the vampire hadn’t known that Menma was intoxicated, he wouldn’t have guessed by the serious, steady voice of the tengu. The intruder’s response was muffled. The other yokai blocked Kurama’s view of the intruder, but soon enough they parted as Menma escorted the intruder to him.

As the crowd parted, the intruder came into view, and Kurama sat up straighter, eyes narrowing.

“Kurama-chan,” the intruder said with much familiarity though gentle in delivery. Menma pressed his katana against his neck harder in response, drawing blood. However, the intruder did not seem to pay it any mind as he continued to keep his leisurely posture. “You have changed.”

The lord scoffed, downing another glass of sake before taking in the intruder’s appearance. The intruder had smooth, pale grey-white skin, lavender, pupil-less eyes, and white hair that reached his waist, flowing freely with every move. Two grey-white horns, the same color as his skin, protruded from his head just under his hairline. They were six inches in length and angled upwards rather than out.

The intruder looked the same in his memory, though it was blurry from when his souls merged, both his and not, but he did remember. “ ** _Remiss in your guard duties, Ji-san? Or did you return for the New Year festival.”_**

“I came for you. A favor from your father.”

Tension filled the air as the other yokai began to murmur and gossip. It was of little surprise, Kurama never opened up about his past. Neither of them. They were best left alone.

Menma met his gaze before removing the sword from the intruder’s neck, and Kurama stood, putting his hands in his sleeves. He walked away from the camp, knowing that his uncle would follow.

They walked until Kurama stopped at the bank of a lake, the water lapping at his bare feet and dampening his kimono. **_“Say what you need to say then leave. The rumors started by your arrival alone will cause me a significant amount of trouble.”_**

“You were always short tempered, Kurama-chan.”

The nickname caused a short growl, but he didn’t correct him. **_“Why are you off the moon?”(5)_**

“Your father was preoccupied trying to stop the wars between the humans, so he asked me to speak with you about an urgent matter.” The man took Kurama’s side, looking up at the moon with a sad expression. “You should visit the moon one day. The moon people are not so bad.”

**_“I rather gorge my eyes out with bamboo than be near that Tsukiyomi bastard’s territory.(6)”_ **

He chuckled. “I fail to understand how you and several of your siblings managed to have such ill-tempers when your father is considered a saint.”

**_“Hamura, stop dancing around the subject. Speak.”_ **

The tone of Kurama’s voice sobered the man, returning his gaze back down to the dark lake surface. “We need you to go to the land across the great bodies of water to subdue a god. Your siblings have already gathered.”

Kurama laughed, loudly and bitterly. **_“You expect me to drop everything to do a favor for that oyaji (7)? He separated us in the first place, and then abandoned us.”_**

“He named you and gave you a purpose,” Hamura countered.

**_“For a young child, yokai or not, it was too much. That old man might be trying to save the world, but Japan is my home. I swore to protect it, both parts. He’s not even my father to my human half. Give me one good reason why I should go because he tells me to.”_ **

Hamura met his gaze unwavering. “Because you now have a human half, the part that wishes to see humans to continue to survive.” Kurama was silent, so he continued. “You have done good Kurama. In the past two centuries, you have made a name of yourself. You have humans who worship you as their protector, yokai who follow you and will lay down their lives for you. The human’s existence depends on this, and I’m sure the yokai part wishes to see your siblings again.”

 ** _“You are very long winded, Ji-san. I get it.”_** Kurama picked up a rock from the bank. **_“How long will it take?”_**

“If done quickly, ten years. If not, 50.”

The time period made Kurama wince. **_“And what exactly is my old man up to exactly to where he can’t do this?”_**

Hamura stroked his chin. “I believe Hagoromo and Soujoubou are teaching the humans how to wield chakra in an attempt to enlighten them.”

Damn his old man, always trying to be the saint. **_“Go away. I understand already.”_**

Hamura glance back behind him before looking back at Kurama, placing a hand on top of his head and petting him like a young child. “Be careful, Kurama-chan.”

Kurama sulked and his uncle ignored it. Sometimes, Kurama wished Hamura was still short tempered and impatient like when he was younger. He had the urge to flick a tail in agitation if he still had them.

Hamura left afterwards, walking on the water to the island across the lake. Kurama watched him until the mist rolled in and covered his presence. **_“I wanted to talk to him alone, Menma.”_**

Menma came out from behind the tree, eyes down casted. His hair had returned to its blonde color, and he looked guilty when he revealed himself. “Will you really leave us for that long?”

**_“It cannot be helped. It is the will of the gods. 50 years is nothing to a yokai. I will be back before you know it.”_ **

The tengu didn’t look convinced. “You will come back, won’t you?”

Kurama shook his head, throwing the rock into the mist. He heard a soft yelp in the distance and smiled a mischievous grin before stepping out of the water and going to Menma’s side. Gently, he placed a hand on top of his head. **_“Like I could leave you idiots alone.”_** He dropped his hand and started back towards the fire and his people. **_“Let’s get back before they drink the rest of the sake.”_**

Menma smiled and took his right hand side, both walking back together.

* * *

 

Kurama sat waiting. Why were his siblings always late? He had been called to this place called Stonehenge. He sat on top of one of the stones, waiting impatiently. Maybe this was why it was going to take decades to complete this task. No one could get here on time. He had been waiting for an entire day before one of them showed up.

 ** _“My, my, if it isn’t little Kura-chan_**.”

“ ** _Matatabi_** ,” Kurama growled, glancing down at his older sister. Even in human form he would have recognized her. She was gorgeous with her long blue hair and mismatched eyes. Even in a human form, Kurama could see the cat like features she possessed, and the blue aura that surrounded her that reminded him of flames. But it wasn’t a normal human. It was his type of human. The one who drank blood and didn’t age. He had never seen another like him and it pulled on his curiosity.

**_“I recognize that face. What is it you wish to know Kura-chan.”_ **

**_“Ji-san said that all of us were human, but humans are too weak to conquer us.”_ **

She smiled, **_“Normal ones, yes, but was your human normal?”_**

 ** _“Don’t puzzle the child. He may be the strongest, but he’s also the most inexperienced.”_** A dark skinned man appeared from behind one of the pillars donning very little despite the cold weather. He wore what looked like a cloth of some sort around his waist that reached his knees and his chest, face, and arms covered in white markings. His hair was black and coarse and cut very short. Kurama had never seen such a skin color, much like he had never seen such pale skinned people like his sister before coming to this strange land. **_“He has not left our home until now. I doubt he even realizes that he had arrived nearly a day early.”_**

Kurama sneered. **_“I arrived perfectly on time.”_**

 ** _“Times are not the same. While it is dark here, in Japan the sun has already risen,”_** another brother appeared, standing next to Matatabi. He was shorter than everyone else, dressed in familiar Chinese garb of a nobleman. His hair was a light green and his face was young, of that of a young child of no more than twelve. **_“I have traveled the Silk Road many times. I have noticed the days slowly change when I fly, when the days become shorter or longer depending on the direction.”_** The child like lord looked up at Kurama with a mischievous look in his eyes. **_“I have met many different beings as well in my travels. Lucky, huh?_**

Kurama was remembering why he didn’t like his older siblings. They all disliked him. **_“What are they?”_** he demanded.

 ** _“While we do not know where they originated from, we do know that they are mostly from the west and have spread over the centuries, though they are more active here. The ones in the east keep their existence better hidden. Thus why you probably have not heard about them,”_** Matatabi explained. **_“If you wish to know more, a later time would be better. We must discuss why we are here.”_**

 ** _“The others have not arrived yet,”_** the child remarked.

**_“Chromei, your skills have rusted. They are already here.”_ **

One by one, the rest of Kurama’s siblings made their presence known until all nine of them stood within the ruins.

 ** _“Father has called us here to complete a task as you are all well aware._** ” Matatabi started. **_“As many of us have lands we must protect and people left behind, I suggest we hurry and conclude our business here as quickly as possible.”_**

 ** _“What Matatabi-nee means is that our usual bickering is pointless,”_** the dark skinned lord said.

Shukaku sneered, sitting on a fallen stone. His sandy brown hair was hidden under a white, cotton headdress with a black cord and wore an airy long white robe. The sclera of his eyes was pitch black while the iris was gold. He always seemed to be in a foul mood despite being the oldest. **_“A waste of everyone’s time. If it was important, that old man would take care of it.”_**

 ** _“Who escaped,”_** the third eldest brother asked rather rudely. His hair, pulled up in a bun on top of his head, and beard was a dark red. He had the appearance of an older man, one in his late 30s, early 40s. He too wore Chinese attire, but he wore the military uniform with a staff tied to his back. **_“Grandmother?”_**

Matatabi shook her head. **_“No, worse. Susano’o.”_**

All the siblings tensed at the name. **_“This is a problem of the gods,”_** the dark skinned brother said quietly, breaking the silence. **_“It is their troubles, not ours.”_**

 ** _“Gyuuki is right,”_** the second sister spoke up, standing beside the third brother. Her long white hair was braided into five long braids that reached her mid back. Her attire of Native American make, a brown leather dress with earthware necklaces and earrings. She had a humble aura around her in both looks and personality. **_“If we meddle in the gods’ affairs, then we always will, and the consequences will befall us if something goes awry.”_**

 ** _“We are already captured by the gods’ will. Our father is associated with them,”_** the second eldest brother took a seat beside Shukaku, despite the oldest lord’s scowl directed towards him, moving rather slowly. His right eye was closed shut and unlike the rest of his siblings, he was the oldest in appearance, his skin weathered and hair grey. He was hunched over slightly as he sat, a wooden walking stick in his hands. **_“How many of us were created by Amaterasu’s or another’s will?”_** A few shifted uncomfortably. **_“We were involved since the beginning. We should earn our keep.”_**

 ** _“I don’t need to earn my keep,”_** Shukaku barked, his chakra lashing out in anger. **_“And I will not get involved in this scheme of theirs either. We have it good. All of us are rulers of our own territory. Humans fear and obey us. I’m not going to risk my life due to their sibling squabbling (8).”_**

 ** _“I fear I agree will our ill tempered brother,”_** the last brother spoke up. His voice was high pitched and his skin shiny with what looked like sweat. His attire was of colorful floor length robes with a large gold crown, earrings, necklace, and bracelets, complete with leather sandals. **“If you need me, I will help, but I will not involve myself until then.”**

**_“Fair enough. Anyone else wish to leave with Saiken and Shukaku?_ ** _” Matatabi asked._

No one spoke up.

Shukaku left without saying goodbye and Saiken bowed before taking his leave as well.

 ** _“Very well,”_** Matatabi looked at each and every one of the siblings that remained. ** _“Let us discuss what needs to be done.”_**

* * *

 

33 years. It had been so long since he stepped foot back in his homeland. He had been eager to see his people. He had gone back to his shrine first, hoping to enlist the help of his spirits to locate his men. But when he arrived at the site, the shrine that had grown and prospered when he had left was burned to the ground, not a single column left standing. His spirits were gone as well.

Seeing it, Kurama knew then that the humans had abandoned their faith in him. There was something waiting for him too, a crow with a message telling Kurama where his yokai were and to come quickly.

And so he did. He hadn’t been prepared to see a bloody battlefield. A battlefield covered in yokai corpses. With a heavy heart he began to count how many were his, overturning rubble, some of the stones and earth still warm from the touch. The battle had ended not long before he arrived, if he had been quicker perhaps he could have saved some of them, but who could have taken out so many yokai?

He heard a gurgle from behind him, and a weak voice call out to him. His heart sank as he recognized the voice and moved swiftly to pull off the rocks that crushed him. Not that it seemed to matter. Menma’s lower body was crushed from the debris. Kurama carefully took the boy into his arms, turning him onto his back so they could look at each other. Menma’s hair was black, still fighting and clinging to life, but his eyes were blue and Kurama knew, he did not have long.

“You returned, though a bit late,” Menma smiled up at him.

**_“What happened here? What demon did this?”_ **

Menma shook his head and the movement made him fall into a coughing fit. “Not demons, humans. They call themselves hunters. They can wield chakra, and they learned the secrets of the sword.” He laughed weakly. “They have turned against my master’s teachings against us.”

 ** _“Why?”_** was all Kurama could think to ask. They had protected the humans. They asked for little tribute a little blood to feed his appetite and the flesh of the sick and dying for those who needed it. They didn’t ask for the flesh of children or for women to be their bride or sacrifice. They asked the bare minimum to survive, to live. It could not be helped that the life of others sustained them. They did not ask to be born like this.

“Humans fear yokai. They do not understand us. They were taught chakra to defend themselves, and according to them, they were defending themselves against us. They didn’t want to give us another person’s life, and they didn’t need our protection when they could do it themselves now. You are no longer a god to them Kurama. You’re just another … yokai.” Menma fell into another coughing fit, blood flowing into his mouth.

 ** _“Cease speaking. Save your strength,”_** Kurama said, wiping the blood away from Menma’s mouth with his sleeve. Feathers were already sprouting on the tengus face and hands. Menma seemed to be fighting the transformation. **_“Revert to your true form. I will allow it.”_**

Menma shook his head weakly. “I wish . . . for you to remember my last . . . moments . . . like this. Your . . . friend.” Another shaky breath then stillness. The tengu laid in Kurama’s arms, reverted back to his true form. He only had one wing; the other seemed to have ripped out from his back. Kurama closed the tengu’s eyes and gently laid him down on the earth.

Not every being can manipulate chakra. Yokai and the gods could, but not all humans. The humans should have stayed ignorant to their potential. His father should not have messed with the world order.

Kurama spent that night burying his dead and burning the rest. A monster. The humans didn’t even know the definition of the word. They always wanted turn him into one. His grip tightened on his katana as he watched the massive fire burn.

He let the fire burn out on its own, and he made his way into the human village at the foot of the mountain. Kyoto they called this place. The capital of this country. The unparalleled city of possibilities and corruption (9). Kurama never went into villages during the day but he walked into this one, drawing attention to himself by his odd appearance. As soon as he reached the center of town, his chakra unfurled, his chakra becoming the shape of nine tails that quickly condensed into physical form. Humans wanted him to be a monster again huh.

People were screaming at the sight of him. With a stoic mask, he raised his hand, his chakra forming a ball and condensing in front of his palm, turning purple from the heat. Then he shot it out, quickly expanding and tearing a large hole into the city.

Let these hunters come. He’d kill ten thousand humans for every yokai of his they killed. Let them try and stop him. They’ll realize quickly enough why they should have never double crossed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am well aware it is disjointed, which is why I like mixing the past and present to make it less obvious.
> 
> Dictionary:
> 
> (1)Soujoubou is the king of the tengus. Tengus are known for being guardians as well as harbingers of war. Soujoubou supposedly brought ninjitsu to humans and taught them swordsmanship. Thus why I mixed the legend with Hagoromo bringing chakra to the ninja world
> 
> (2)According to lore, some gods and spirits are born from humans wishes and desires. Likewise, these spirits can die if faith in them die out.
> 
> (3)Anyone watch Nura: Rse of the Yokai Clan? The night of a hundred demons is folklore about a hundred demons parading through the streets on summer nights every year, anyone who would come across them would be spirited away. The parade is usually lead by Nurarihyon (a type of yokai that goes into people's homes uninvited). Nura had the parade and relationship kind of mafia like which I liked and kept for Kurama, thus why he's kind of describes a a yukuza boss.
> 
> (4) Supposed to mean your making yourself look foolish similar to the expression you have egg on your face.
> 
> (5) Kaguya is from the moon in her tale and there are moon people apparently.
> 
> (6) Amaterasu, Susano'o, Tsukiyomi. I was surprised to find out they are gods. Tsukiyomi is the moon god, Amaterasu is the sun goddess, and Susano'o is the god of storms. These three are all siblings and children of the god Izanagi who was married to Izanami before she died and sent to the underworld. Apparently, Kishimoto really like naming all the Uchiha abilities after gods.
> 
> (7) oyaji is a crude way of saying "old man". 
> 
> (8) It's a reference to Japanese folklore. Susano'o was to leave heaven by Izanagi's orders. Susano'o went to bid his sister farewell and Amaterasu, being suspicious challenged him. It ended in a draw, growing restless, Susano'o in a fit of rage destroyed her rice fields, threw a flayed pony at her loom (pony's were sacred animals to her), and killed one of her attendants. He was cast out of heaven. Tsukiyomi however was married to Amaterasu. Until that brother killed the goddess of food, being disgusted how the goddess produced it. Amaterasu labeled him an evil god and they split night and day forever.
> 
> (9) Kyoto is the old capital of Japan.


	9. AN: Hiatus Over! However....

Hey guys! It's been a while. As a lot of you have noticed, this story has been on hold for about a year and a half now. The great news is, I'll be getting back to Deceptions Hidden in Blood, now that I've finished my other fanfiction...as soon as I figure out how to write a decent sex scene. . . . Yeah, I've been struggling with that. If anyone want to be a Beta for me, please PM. Do not write a review on this chapter because I plan to delete this chapter eventually so I can post a real chapter in it's place. I don't want to lose your comments when I delete it, so please either PM or comment on another chapter.

On a side note, I wanted to let you all know that I have been working to turn Blood of the Immortal into an original story. I've been talking about it for years. Well, I finally started to rewrite it as such. I want your feedback. I have posted it to WattPad and FictionPress, my username being AyameShimitsu and Shimitsu respectively. There's only two chapters right now, but I have added scenes that weren't there before, and did a better job at foreshadowing I think. Again, I'd like to hear your opinions. If you think it's still too Naruto related or not. Obviously you guys know who each character is based off of, but try to think from an outsiders view, meaning, if you didn't know it was a fanfiction originally, would you put two and two together?

I'm about to graduate so life's a bit hectic, but I do plan to update before Christmas and update regularly after that. I'm looking for a Beta for both. As said before please do not review on this chapter specifically. I do plan to delete this and replace it with a real chapter. If I don't delete it you will not get your notification for a new chapter later. Thanks for anyone still following this story. Your loyalty is touching.

Fiction press: <https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3262385/1/Blood-of-the-Immortal>  
Wattpad: <https://www.wattpad.com/story/126802493-blood-of-the-immortal>


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